Comparative study of methods for detecting extraterrestrial life in exploration mission of Mars and the solar system

Enya, Keigo; Yamagishi, Akihiko; Kobayashi, Kensei; Yoshimura, Yoshitaka

doi:10.1016/j.lssr.2022.07.001

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 83 publications

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“…So far, this work has mainly been conducted by NASA and ESA, but China’s CNSA is also searching for biosignatures with their Zhurong rover. For a thorough understanding of the methods used for detecting life, the reader is referred to Enya et al [ 35 ].…”

Section: Detection Of Life Beyond Earthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Astrobiology in Space: A Comprehensive Look at the Solar System

Mol

2023

Life

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The field of astrobiology aims to understand the origin of life on Earth and searches for evidence of life beyond our planet. Although there is agreement on some of the requirements for life on Earth, the exact process by which life emerged from prebiotic conditions is still uncertain, leading to various theories. In order to expand our knowledge of life and our place in the universe, scientists look for signs of life through the use of biosignatures, observations that suggest the presence of past or present life. These biosignatures often require up-close investigation by orbiters and landers, which have been employed in various space missions. Mars, because of its proximity and Earth-like environment, has received the most attention and has been explored using (sub)surface sampling and analysis. Despite its inhospitable surface conditions, Venus has also been the subject of space missions due to the presence of potentially habitable conditions in its atmosphere. In addition, the discovery of habitable environments on icy moons has sparked interest in further study. This article provides an overview of the origin of life on Earth and the astrobiology studies carried out by orbiters and landers.

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Section: Detection Of Life Beyond Earthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Astrobiology in Space: A Comprehensive Look at the Solar System

Mol

2023

Life

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“…Some researchers worry that our current theoretical toolkit for data analysis may not be sophisticated enough [6,14,26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimal Spatial Deconvolution and Message Reconstruction from a Large Generative Model of Models

Zenil¹,

Adams²,

Abrahão³

2023

Preprint

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We introduce a general-purpose univariate signal deconvolution method based on the principles of an approach to Artificial General Intelligence. This approach is based on a generative model that combines information theory and algorithmic probability that required a large calculation of an estimation of a 'universal distribution' to build a general-purpose model of models independent of probability distributions. This was used to investigate how non-random data may encode information about the physical properties such as dimension and length scales in which a signal or message may have been originally encoded, embedded, or generated. This multidimensional space reconstruction method is based on information theory and algorithmic probability, and it is agnostic, but not independent, with respect to the chosen computable or semi-computable approximation method or encoding-decoding scheme. The results presented in this paper are useful for applications in coding theory, particularly in zeroknowledge one-way communication channels, such as in deciphering messages sent by generating sources of unknown nature for which no prior knowledge is available. We argue that this can have strong potential for cryptography, signal processing, causal deconvolution, life, and technosignature detection.

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“…In the 1970s, the Viking spacecraft from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) landed on Mars and conducted groundbreaking in situ studies to look for signs of life utilizing Mars soil [5][6][7][8][9]. Although Viking could not conclude on the presence of life, the development and application of various methods related to extraterrestrial life search have been ongoing (e.g., various types of mass spectrometry, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analysis, Raman spectrometry, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) measurement, and fluorescence microscopy) [10][11][12]. These *enya.keigo@jaxa.jp are important techniques for identifying and/or examining substances and traits associated with life.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cell culture experiment using a Mars soil simulant for the detection of extraterrestrial life

Enya

Sasaki

Fujishiro

et al. 2023

SPIE Future Sensing Technologies 2023

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We describe a cell culture experiment utilizing Mars soil simulant and yeast as a study for extraterrestrial-microorganism detection in future. The following conditions were combined to create different sample configurations: solid medium (agar plate) or liquid medium, with the Mars soil simulant (100 mg) or without, and various yeast cell densities (30 μL of a suspension of yeast prepared to achieve dilution rates of 10 −2 , 10 −3 , 10 −4 , and 10 −5 from the original suspension). For redundancy, two samples were created for each setting. On each agar plate, colonies of yeast cells were visible. In contrast, only samples created with a dilution rate of 10 −2 and 10 −3 were proven to show the presence of yeast proliferating in liquid media. The agar plates were observed via imaging using a digital camera. Colony counting was conducted using functions of the ImageJ software; the yeast density in the original suspension was estimated to be 2.5 × 10 7 colony forming units (CFU)/mL. Based on the results of cell culture on the agar plates, the detection limit that was experimentally demonstrated in this work amounted to 7.5 CFU/100 mg of soil, which corresponded to 75 CFU/g of soil. Thus, we confirmed that the Mars soil simulant reduced the number of colonies to one-third of that detected without the Mars soil simulant. In the discussion, we pointed out that the method that used the solid media has potential to provide high sensitivity using a simple, compact, and lightweight hardware. Microscope with no optics is also discussed. The lower limit of detection obtained in this study was compared with those obtained using other methods. We compared and discussed extraterrestrial life search based on (1) in situ experiments by unmanned missions, (2) analysis of samples returned to Earth, and (3) dedicated in situ analyses by manned bases located on extraterrestrial sites in the future. The perspectives discussed herein are applicable not only to the samples from Mars but also to the samples from other solar system bodies. Identifying cell culture conditions for these applications is a critical difficulty. Notably, it is a possible scenario that cell culture (although challenging) will become necessary to obtain clear evidence of extraterrestrial life. We also note that in cases where there are multiple species of microorganisms, it can happen that microorganisms that fit the culture conditions used in an experiment are selectively cultured and detected, even if the culture conditions for each species are not fully discovered. It is worthwhile to conduct exploration in advance designed with the intention of determining culture conditions with the plan to culture microorganisms in the future.

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Comparative study of methods for detecting extraterrestrial life in exploration mission of Mars and the solar system

Cited by 10 publications

References 83 publications

Astrobiology in Space: A Comprehensive Look at the Solar System

Astrobiology in Space: A Comprehensive Look at the Solar System

Optimal Spatial Deconvolution and Message Reconstruction from a Large Generative Model of Models

Cell culture experiment using a Mars soil simulant for the detection of extraterrestrial life

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