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Life on Mars: how it disappeared (if it was ever there)
1Polar Desert Research Center, Florida State University, Tallahassee 32306-2043, USA.
Advances in Space Research : the Official Journal of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR)
|January 1, 1989
Summary
Antarctic cryptoendolithic microbes face extreme cold, near their survival limits. Environmental stress causes cell damage and death, offering insights into potential life extinction on early Mars.
Area of Science:
- Astrobiology
- Microbiology
- Extremophile Research
Background:
- Cryptoendolithic microbial communities in Antarctica's Ross Desert thrive in extreme cold, near their physiological limits.
- These organisms experience severe environmental stress, making them vulnerable to further climate deterioration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cellular damage and death processes in Antarctic cryptoendolithic microbes under stress.
- To establish a terrestrial analog for the potential extinction of life on early Mars.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing transmission electron microscopy to document progressive stages of cell damage and death.
- Analyzing microbial communities from the Ross Desert, Antarctica.
Main Results:
- Observed progressive cellular damage and death in cryptoendolithic microbes due to environmental stress.
- Documented the sequence of events leading to microbial extinction in this extreme environment.
Conclusions:
- The study provides a model for understanding life's response to extreme environmental change.
- Findings contribute to the search for extraterrestrial life by examining analogs for early Martian environments.
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