2003 Annual Science Report
Astrobiology Roadmap Objective 4.1 Reports Reporting | JUL 2002 – JUN 2003
Roadmap Objective 4.1—Earth's early biosphere
Project Reports
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Laboratory/Observational Studies of Biogenic Greenhouse Gases on the Early Earth
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.2 2.1 4.1 7.2 -
Biogeochemistry of the Early Earth
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 3.1 4.1 4.3 5.2 5.3 6.2 7.1 7.2 -
Subsurface Biospheres
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 5.3 -
Benner – Self-Reproducing Molecular Systems and Darwinian Chemistry
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 4.1 4.2 4.3 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.2 7.1 7.2 -
Modeling Early Atmospheric Composition and Climate
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 4.1 -
Archean Biosignatures
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.1 3.4 4.1 -
Isotopic and Molecular Approaches to Microbial Ecology and Biogeochemistry (The Evolution of Organic Matter)
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.2 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 7.1 7.2 -
Evolution of Atmospheric O2, Climate, and Biosphere – K. Freeman
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 4.2 5.2 6.1 7.1 -
Evolution in Microbe-Based Ecosystems: Desert Springs as Analogues for the Early Development and Stabilization of Ecological Systems
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 7.1 -
Biogeochemistry of Earth’s Greenhouse Leading to the Rise of Oxygen
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 3.1 4.1 6.1 7.1 7.2 -
Characterizing Earth’s Early Life
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 -
Molecular Survey of Microbial Diversity in Hypersaline Ecosystems, Ecogenomics
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.2 3.4 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 7.1 7.2 -
Microbial Fossilization Processes in Extreme Environments
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 4.1 7.1 -
Evolution of Atmospheric O2, Climate and the Terrestrial Biosphere – Capo
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 6.1 -
The Planetary Context of Biological Evolution Subproject: The Proterozoic Oxidiation of the Earth’s Surface
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 4.1 4.2 5.3 6.1 -
New Technique Development and Application
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 2.2 3.1 4.1 -
Fe Isotope Biosignatures
The field of Fe isotope geochemistry, which the UW-Madison group has been largely responsible for developing, has matured greatly in the last year.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 4.1 6.1 7.1 7.2 -
Habitability of Planetary Bodies
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 4.1 4.3 -
Fractionation of Transition Metal Isotopes
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 4.1 6.1 7.1 -
Early Microbial Ecosystems
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 7.1 7.2 -
Evolution of Atmospheric O2, Climate, and the Terrestrial Biosphere – Stewart
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 4.1 6.1 -
The Planetary Context of Biological Evolution Subproject: Neoproterozoic-Cambrian Environmental Change and Evolution
Subproject 2, Neoproterozoic-Cambrian environmental change and evolution, has enjoyed the broadest participation of Harvard team members, and for good reason.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 4.2 -
The Abiotic Planetary Model: The Upper and Lower Boundary Condition on the Atmosphere
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 4.1 7.2 -
Micro*scope (http://www.mbl.edu/microscope) – A Web-Based Tool for Microbial Diversity Research
micro*scope (http://www.mbl.edu/microscope) is an innovative biodiversity bioinformatics web site that greatly improves access to information about microbes
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 4.2 5.2 6.1 6.2 -
Geobiology and Geochemistry of Early Earth
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 6.1 -
Isotopic and Molecular Tracers of Life
Task 1. Molecular Spectroscopic Investigations into Ancient Biochemistry (Cody, Fogel, Hazen)
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.2 4.1 6.1 7.1 7.2 -
The Virtual Planetary Laboratory – the Life Modules
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 4.1 5.3 6.1 7.2 -
Evolution of Atmospheric O2, Climate, and Biosphere – Ohmoto
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 4.1 4.3 5.2 5.3 6.1 7.1 7.2 -
Evolution of Biocomplexity From an Ancient Autotrophic Lineage
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.2 3.3 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.3 6.1 -
Biological Studies of Hydrothermal Systems
Task 1. Field Studies and Laboratory Characterization of Hydrothermal Vent Microbes (Baross)
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.3 6.1 7.1 -
Causes and Consequences of the Diversification and Tetinction of Metazoans: Neoproterozoic Variations – Arthur
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 -
Ecosystem to Biosphere Modeling
We have developed a simulation model called MBGC (Microbial BioGeoChemistry) to infer effects of major environmental controllers on microbial community structure and function (Decker and Potter, 2002).
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 5.3 6.1 7.2 -
Characterization of Terrestrial Planets From Disk-Averaged Spectra: Spectroscopic Studies to Understand Detectability and Habitability.
n this project we focus on understanding what we can learn about an extrasolar terrestrial planet from remotely sensed, disk-averaged spectra, as a function of spectral resolution and instrument sensitivity
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.2 4.1 7.2 -
A New Molecular Recognition Instrument for Astrobiological Applications
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 3.1 3.2 4.1 5.1 6.2 7.1 -
Evogenomics Focus Group
In year 5, Co-I Charles Marshall continued his statistical analyses of the fossil record as part of the Evogenomics Focus Group.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 4.2 5.1 -
Diversity and Physiology of Prokaryotes in Selected Thermophilic and Mesophilic Environments That Might Resemble Early Earth’s Biosphere
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 5.1 5.2 5.3 -
Early Environments
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 4.1 7.1 -
Spectroscopic Databases to Support Extrasolar Planet Modeling
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 4.1 7.2 -
Building a Habitable Planet: The Geological Record
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 4.2 7.1 -
Impacts and the Origin, Distribution, and Evolution of Life
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 4.3 6.1 -
Magnetic Biosignatures
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 3.1 3.3 4.1 4.2 4.3 5.1 6.1 7.1 -
Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 6.1 7.1 7.2 -
Enzymes of Ancient Metabolic Pathways
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.3 4.1 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 -
Microbial Mat Communities
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.2 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 -
Microbe-Mineral Interactions
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 5.3 6.1 7.1 -
Geopulse
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 7.2 -
A Timescale for the Evolution of Life on Earth – Hedges
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.2 2.1 3.4 4.1 4.2 4.3 5.2 5.3 7.1 7.2 -
A Timescale for the Evolution of Life on Earth – Nei
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.2 2.1 3.4 4.1 4.2 4.3 5.2 5.3 7.1 7.2 -
Evolution of Atmospheric O2, Climate, and Biosphere – Kump
Ellen Herman (MS Student) has received some support from the Pennsylvania State Astrobiology Research Center (PSARC) to develop a numerical model of the microbial mat
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 4.2 4.3 5.2 6.1