ASTID

A Search for Extra-Terrestrial Genomes (SETG): An In-situ Detector for Life on Mars Ancestrally Related to Life on Earth

PI: Maria Zuber

The Search for Extraterrestrial Genomes (SETG) Project will test the hypothesis that life on Mars, if it exists, shares a common ancestor with life on Earth. There is increasing evidence that viable microbes could have been transferred between the two planets, based in part on calculations of meteorite trajectories and magnetization studies supporting only mild heating of meteorite cores. In addition, microbial life has been discovered in Earth environments exposed to high levels of radiation and extremes of temperature, demonstrating the incredible adaptability of microbes. Based on the shared-ancestry hypothesis, this project will look for DNA and RNA through in-situ analysis of Martian soil (or ice) samples. Using molecular biology approaches including Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), we aim to develop an instrument that can isolate, amplify, detect, and classify any extant DNA or RNA based organism, even at extremely low abundance. In our first ASTID grant we made substantial progress, including demonstrating the core amplification and detection technology. Here we propose to develop several components of our instrument including a microfluidic module that will permit sequencing in-situ, on Mars. By returning precise genetic information, SETG virtually eliminates false positive results: sequences from likely contaminates are immediately identified, whereas any system of life isolated from that on Earth over geologic time will be evident from phylogenetic analysis. This, combined with ultraclean techniques and single-molecule sensitivity, make SETG arguably the most sensitive and specific detector of life, and an essential component of a comprehensive life detection strategy.