NAI
2002 Annual Science Report
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Reporting | JUL 2001 – JUN 2002
Fe Isotope Biosignatures
Project Summary
Our research program in Year 4 has focused on five aspects of Fe isotope geochemistry, and our findings are based on ~1,000 new high-precision Fe isotope analyses using the new NAI-funded MC-ICP-MS lab
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Institutions
3
Teams
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Publications
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Field Sites
Project Progress
Our research program in Year 4 has focused on five aspects of Fe isotope geochemistry, and our findings are based on ~1,000 new high-precision Fe isotope analyses using the new NAI-funded MC-ICP-MS lab:
- Determining the extent of Fe isotope variations in natural samples from the modern and ancient Earth [3 papers]
- Experimentally calibrating biological controls on Fe isotope fractionations during dissimilatory Fe reduction and photosynthetic Fe oxidation [3 papers]
- Experimentally calibrating equilibrium Fe isotope fractionation factors for geologically relevant inorganic systems [2 papers]
- Field-based studies of Fe isotope fractionation in biologically complex ecosystems that may be analogs to ancient Fe deposits on Earth and Mars [several abstracts]
- Exploratory work on development of spacecraft-based, in situ Fe isotope measurements for future Mars lander missions [work in progress]
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PROJECT INVESTIGATORS:
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PROJECT MEMBERS:
Clark Johnson
Project Investigator
Brian Beard
Co-Investigator
Nicolas Beukes
Collaborator
Paul Braterman
Collaborator
Laura Croal
Collaborator
David Des Marais
Collaborator
Cornelis Klein
Collaborator
Kenneth Nealson
Collaborator
Dianne Newman
Collaborator
Hiroshi Ohmoto
Collaborator
Beverly Pierson
Collaborator
Eric Roden
Collaborator
Mahadeva Sinha
Collaborator
Henry Sun
Collaborator
Karen Von Damm
Collaborator
Susan Welch
Postdoc
Kosei Yamaguchi
Postdoc
Rebecca Poulson
Undergraduate Student
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RELATED OBJECTIVES:
Objective 3.0
Replicating, catalytic systems capable of evolution, and construct laboratory models of metabolism in primitive living systems.
Objective 5.0
Describe the sequences of causes and effects associated with the development of Earth's early biosphere and the global environment.
Objective 6.0
Define how ecophysiological processes structure microbial communities, influence their adaptation and evolution, and affect their detection on other planets.
Objective 7.0
Identify the environmental limits for life by examining biological adaptations to extremes in environmental conditions.
Objective 8.0
Search for evidence of ancient climates, extinct life and potential habitats for extant life on Mars.
Objective 10.0
Understand the natural processes by which life can migrate from one world to another. Are we alone in the Universe?
Objective 12.0
Define climatological and geological effects upon the limits of habitable zones around the Sun and other stars to help define the frequency of habitable planets in the universe.