Astrobiology Program

Roundtable Discussion with the

Board on Earth Sciences and
Resources

Carl B. Pilcher
Senior Scientist for Astrobiology
Science Mission Directorate
NASA Headquarters

May 31, 2006

 Astrobiology:
Life in a Universal Context

Astrobiology is the study of life

in the Universe. It focuses on
answering three fundamental
questions:
• How does life begin
and evolve?
• Does life exist elsewhere in
the Universe?
• What is the future for life on
Earth and beyond?
Agents of environmental change: Solar luminosity increase,
impacts, heat flow decline, crustal evolution, life.
 Nuts and Bolts of the
Astrobiology Program
Exobiology & Evolutionary Biology Program
• Research centered on pathways leading to and from the origin of life and focused
on the physical and biological forces that affect biological evolution and the
interaction of life with its environment, to determine the potential for life
elsewhere in the Universe.

NASA Astrobiology Institute

• Virtual institute whose members conduct interdisciplinary research as a
community yet are geographically dispersed, interacting also with the national and
international community.

Technology & Development Programs

• Astrobiology Science & Technology Instrument Development (ASTID): Life-
centered perspective in technology development from concept to brass-board.
• Astrobiology Science & Technology for Exploring Planets (ASTEP): Program
of science-driven robotic campaigns to extreme environments to develop
integrated system, exploration savvy, and astrobiology capabilities for space
exploration.
 Astrobiology is guided by a
Roadmap
• Second Roadmap released early 2003
• Development was community based
• There are 7 goals, each multi-decadal in scope:
ƒ Habitable Planets
ƒ Life in our Solar System
ƒ Origins of Life
ƒ Earth’s Early Biosphere and its Environment
ƒ Evolution, Environment and the Limits of Life
ƒ Life’s Future on Earth and Beyond
ƒ Signatures of Life
• 18 objectives, multi-year in scope, measurable.
• http://astrobiology.arc.nasa.gov/roadmap/index.html
 Astrobiology Roadmap
Team Members
 David Des Marais, Chair - NASA Ames Research Center
 Louis Allamandola - NASA Ames Research Center
 Steven Benner - University of Florida
 Alan Boss - Carnegie Institution of Washington
 John Cronin - Arizona State University
 David Deamer - University of California, Santa Cruz
 Paul Falkowski - Rutgers University
 Jack Farmer - Arizona State University
 S. Blair Hedges - Penn State University
 Bruce M. Jakosky - University of Colorado
 Andrew Knoll - Harvard University
 David Liskowsky - NASA Headquarters
 Victoria Meadows - Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 Kenneth Nealson - University of Southern California & JPL
 Alfred Spormann - Stanford University
 Jonathan Trent - NASA Ames Research Center
 William Turner - NASA Headquarters
 Neville Woolf - University of Arizona
 Harold Yorke - Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 Michael Meyer - NASA Headquarters (ex officio)
 Carl Pilcher - NASA Headquarters (ex officio)
 Astrobiology Roadmap

• Goal 1 - Understand the nature and distribution of habitable

environments in the Universe.
 Objective 1.1 - Models of formation and evolution of habitable planets
 Objective 1.2 - Indirect and direct astronomical observations of
extrasolar habitable planets

• Goal 2 - Explore for past or present habitable environments,

prebiotic chemistry and signs of life elsewhere in our Solar
System.
 Objective 2.1 - Mars exploration
 Objective 2.2 - Outer Solar System exploration
 Astrobiology Roadmap

• Goal 3 - Understand how life emerges from cosmic and planetary

precursors.
 Objective 3.1 - Sources of prebiotic materials and catalysts.
 Objective 3.2 - Origins and evolution of functional biomolecules.
 Objective 3.3 - Origins of energy transduction.
 Objective 3.4 - Origins of cellularity and protobiological systems.

• Goal 4 - Understand how past life on Earth interacted with its

changing planetary & Solar System environment.
 Objective 4.1 - Earth’s early biosphere
 Objective 4.2 - Foundations of complex life
 Objective 4.3 - Effects of extraterrestrial events upon the biosphere
 Astrobiology Roadmap

• Goal 5 - Understand the evolutionary mechanisms &

environmental limits of life.
 Objective 5.1 - Environment-dependent, molecular evolution.
 Objective 5.2 - Co-evolution of microbial communities.
 Objective 5.3 - Biochemical adaptation to extreme environments.
• Goal 6 - Understand the principles that will shape the future of
life, both on Earth and beyond.
 Objective 6.1 - Environmental changes and the cycling of elements by
biota, communities and ecosystems
 Objective 6.2 - Adaptation and evolution of life beyond Earth
 Goal 7 - Determine how to recognize signatures of life on other
worlds and on early Earth.
ƒ Objective 7.1 - Biosignatures to be sought in Solar System materials.
Objective 7.2 - Biosignatures to be sought in nearby planetary systems
Astrobiology is based upon the premise that biosignatures
encountered beyond Earth will be recognizable
Features created by life Features created by nonbiological
processes

"Biosignatures:" Features
features Ambiguous created
created features ONLY by
ONLY by life nonbiological
processes
 Astrobiology Unites Disciplines
to Study Life in the Universe

Nature & Distribution Distribution of Advanced

of Prebiotic Evolution & Life in the Universe
Life in the Universe Origins,
Evolution &
Distribution
of Life

Biosignatures:
Attributes of
Living Systems
 We can
continue on to
talk some
science if there
is time
Investigating Morphological and Isotopic
Biosignatures of Terrestrial Iron Bacteria
-A Potential Mars Analog

Juergen Schieber (PI), Arndt Schimmelmann & Flynn Picardal

Indiana University
Brian Beard; University of Wisconsin
Dave Krinsley, Steve Golledge; University of Oregon
Microbial mats constructed
from Iron Microbes
(Leptothrix, Gallionella) in a
small creek near
Bloomington, Indiana
Both Iron-oxidizers;
Leptothrix is sheathed,
Gallionella is stalked.
 Morphological Studies – Preliminary Results:
1) “Growing” Stromatolites:
Stabilize with Spurr resin for study

“Harvest” mat core

Sprinkle defined areas with sand (2-

3 day intervals) during growth cycle Layered structure preserved. These
mats, though very soft and
gelatinous, may produce
stromatolite-like structures in the
rock record
 Morphological Studies – Preliminary Results:
Stretched EPS sheets (curtains)
2) Fine Structure (ESEM & freeze dried samples) that cover the surficial layer of the
side view iron microbial mats. Tiny balls are
iron hydroxide encrustations

“Honeycomb”
Honeycomb” structure that
separates surface-
surface-parallel stories.
top view

Microlaminar “scaffolding”
scaffolding” constructed
from Fe-
Fe-mineralized Leptothrix “sticks”
sticks”
and held together by EPS.
top view

Mat Construction: Leptothrix sheaths dominant load

carrying element. Layer-honeycomb-layer structure defines
numerous water filled hollow spaces (compartmentalization).
EPS matrix binds structural elements. EPS sheets stretched
along the structural elements of each compartment impede
(in-out) water flow and provide deformation resistance of
structure.
Potential: The large internal surface area of this
structure, as well as the numerous
compartments should favor textural preservation
of these mats by diagenetic mineralization or
infiltrating particles, such as clays. Although
fossilized iron microbial mats have yet to be
reported, under the right circumstances (early
diagenetic mineralization) they may have
excellent preservation potential. If comparable
organisms existed on Mars they could have
given rise to macroscopically recognizable
microbial mat deposits.
3-D Confocal & Raman Images of
Ancient Fossils Inside Rocks

Schopf, JW and Kudryavtsev, AB, 2005, Three-dimensional Raman

imagery of Precambrian microscopic fossils, Geobiology 3: 1-12

Schopf, JW, Tripathi, AB, and Kudryavtsev, AB, 2006, Three-dimensional

confocal optical imagery of Precambrian microscopic organisms,
Astrobiology 6: 1-16
 Precambrian Filament (cyanobacterium)
10 µm

Thin Section Upper Surface

Depth Below
Surface of 20 µm
Petrographic
Thin Section Optical Photomicrographs
of In-focus Planes at
Varying Focal Depths
Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope
 Spheroidal Unicell (acritarch)
Chichkan Fm., ~650 Ma, Kazakhstan
North Pole Equator South Pole

Standard
2-D
Optical
Images

10 µm

CLSM
3-D
Image
 Precambrian Filament (cyanobacterium)
Bitter Springs Fm., ~850 Ma, Australia

10 µm
Photomontage

10 µm
Interpretive Drawing

3-D Optical Image

Precambrian Filament (cyanobacterium)
Bitter Springs Fm., ~850 Ma, Australia
Photomontage
(10 photos)

Interpretive Drawing
10 µm

Confocal 3-D Image

 3-D Confocal & Chemical Images

Photomontage
3-D Chemical (Raman) Image
(10 photos) Cell Lumina

Interpretive Drawing 10 µm

Kerogen Raman Bands

Confocal 3-D Image

The End