Measurement of microbial activity in soil by colorimetric observation of in situ dye reduction: an approach to detection of extraterrestrial life

Abstract

Background: Detecting microbial life in extraterrestrial locations is a goal of space exploration because of ecological and health concerns about possible contamination of other planets with earthly organisms, and vice versa. Previously we suggested a method for life detection based on the fact that living entities require a continual input of energy accessed through coupled oxidations and reductions (an electron transport chain). We demonstrated using earthly soils that the identification of extracted components of electron transport chains is useful for remote detection of a chemical signature of life. The instrument package developed used supercritical carbon dioxide for soil extraction, followed by chromatography or electrophoresis to separate extracted compounds, with final detection by voltammetry and tandem mass-spectrometry.

Focus

“…quinones) that might supply the necessary energy to support life. 44 Over the past two decades Mass Spectrometry has developed into one of the most powerful tools for molecular detection and identification. To this end, there has been much interest in miniaturised or microfabricated mass spectrometers for in-the-field applications.…”

Metabolt: An In-Situ Instrument to Characterize the Metabolic Activity of Microbial Soil Ecosystems Using Electrochemical and Gaseous Signatures

“…Another existing method extracted components of electron transport chains for remote detection of chemical signatures of life in soil. Techniques such as chromatography or electrophoresis to separate extracted compounds, with final detection by voltammetry and tandem mass-spectrometry were proposed [30]. Recently, nanomaterial incorporation into biosensors has been proposed to enhance the performance of biosensors due to their unique physicochemical properties [31].…”

Obtención de inoculantes bacterianos y evaluación de su aplicación en procesos de biorremediación de suelos contaminados con PAH

“…La biorremediación podría definirse como una biodegradación asistida y controlada que provee una solución definitiva. Así se diferencia de otras tecnologías que solo proveen una solución temporal mediante el aislamiento y la contención del contaminante (Crawford, 2002).…”