Raman spectroscopy in astrobiology

Villar, Susana E. Jorge; Edwards, Howell G. M.

doi:10.1007/s00216-005-0029-2

Cited by 142 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 107 publications

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“…7 show evidence of a carotenoid from Raman bands at 1526, 1156 and 1002 cm −1 , probably lutein, but spectrum d in Fig. 7 [18]. This particular spectrum is interesting for several reasons, but specifically since scytonemin is exclusively produced by cyanobacteria as a UV-radiation protectant biomolecule.…”

Section: Mineralogymentioning

confidence: 90%

“…6) [17,18]. In addition, the Raman spectra of one of these samples has a feature at 1324 cm −1 which is assignable to chlorophyll, whereas both have a weaker band at 3043 cm −1 (not shown), assignable to unsaturated C CH bonds, probably in the carotenoid skeletal backbone.…”

Section: Mineralogymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several previous studies of extremophilic colonisation have demonstrated the viability of Raman spectroscopy for the in situ determination of extinct or extant biological material in the geological matrix, without involving the separation of the biological colonies from their inorganic mineral host matrices. This approach provides novel information at the molecular level about the important organic/inorganic interactions [1,2,[16][17][18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Rio Tinto Mars Analogue site: An extremophilic Raman spectroscopic study

Edwards

Vandenabeele

Villar

et al. 2007

Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectros

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The Rio Tinto site is recognised as a terrestrial Mars analogue because of the presence of jarosite and related sulfates which have recently been identified by the NASA Mars Exploration Rover "Opportunity" in the El Capitan region of Meridiani Planum on Mars. It has long been known that acidophilic microbial action is responsible for the deep blood-red colour of the water in Rio Tinto, where the pH varies from about 1.5 to 3.0 and the water is rich in iron and sulfur. Following recent Raman spectroscopic characterisation of the mineral phases of the Rio Tinto system, we report here a study of the biological components found in several specimens of deposited minerals and near the waterside that were collected during a GeoRaman VI Conference organized field trip in 2006. Key biosignatures were found for carotenoids, scytonemin and mycosporine-like amino acids, which are indicative of the biological colonisation of exposed mineral substrates; information from this study will be useful for targeting Martian sites using a miniaturized Raman instrument where the biosignatures of relict or extant life could remain in the geological record.

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Section: Mineralogymentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Mineralogymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Rio Tinto Mars Analogue site: An extremophilic Raman spectroscopic study

Edwards

Vandenabeele

Villar

et al. 2007

Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectros

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“…Wynn-Williams & Edwards 2000a,b; Edwards et al 2004Edwards et al , 2005aVillar et al 2005;Villar & Edwards 2006). Photoprotective pigments provide an important group of biomolecules which are produced as a response to harmful UV radiation and act as UV-screening compounds (e.g.…”

Section: (B) Implications For Astrobiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

The potential of Raman spectroscopy for the analysis of diagenetically transformed carotenoids

Marshall

2010

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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Recently, carotenoids have received much attention as target compounds for astrobiological prospecting principally because they are a group of molecules that display unique diagnostic Raman spectra that can be assigned to organic material of unequivocal biological origin. However, no work has been performed on assessing the potential of Raman spectroscopic detection of carotenoids from fossilized microbes. Here, we report the first Raman spectra acquired from ‘perhydro’ derivatives of β-carotene and lycopene formed by hydrogenation of the polyene chain during diagenesis, resulting in much less specific fossil hydrocarbons such as β-carotane and lycopane, respectively. We propose here that diagenetically altered carotenoids formed by hydrogenation reactions during the fossilization processes also provide unique diagnostic spectra that can be interpreted as a biological signature.

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“…To that end, we employed Raman spectroscopy, a valuable analytical technique for planetary exploration because it is sensitive to organic and inorganic compounds and able to unambiguously identify key spectral markers in a mixture of biological and geological components (e.g. Villar & Edwards 2006). As a part of the scientific payload of the forthcoming probes planned within future missions aimed at searching for life on Mars (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial colonization of halite from the hyper-arid Atacama Desert studied by Raman spectroscopy

Vítek

Edwards

Jehlička

et al. 2010

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

119

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The hyper-arid core of the Atacama Desert (Chile) is the driest place on Earth and is considered a close analogue to the extremely arid conditions on the surface of Mars. Microbial life is very rare in soils of this hyper-arid region, and autotrophic microorganisms are virtually absent. Instead, photosynthetic micro-organisms have successfully colonized the interior of halite crusts, which are widespread in the Atacama Desert. These endoevaporitic colonies are an example of life that has adapted to the extreme dryness by colonizing the interior of rocks that provide enhanced moisture conditions. As such, these colonies represent a novel example of potential life on Mars. Here, we present non-destructive Raman spectroscopical identification of these colonies and their organic remnants. Spectral signatures revealed the presence of UV-protective biomolecules as well as light-harvesting pigments pointing to photosynthetic activity. Compounds of biogenic origin identified within these rocks differed depending on the origins of specimens from particular areas in the desert, with differing environmental conditions. Our results also demonstrate the capability of Raman spectroscopy to identify biomarkers within rocks that have a strong astrobiological potential.

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Raman spectroscopy in astrobiology

Cited by 142 publications

References 107 publications

The Rio Tinto Mars Analogue site: An extremophilic Raman spectroscopic study

The Rio Tinto Mars Analogue site: An extremophilic Raman spectroscopic study

The potential of Raman spectroscopy for the analysis of diagenetically transformed carotenoids

Microbial colonization of halite from the hyper-arid Atacama Desert studied by Raman spectroscopy

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