2004 Annual Science Report
Astrobiology Roadmap Objective 5.3 Reports Reporting | JUL 2003 – JUN 2004
Roadmap Objective 5.3—Biochemical adaptation to extreme environments
Project Reports
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Diversity and Physiology of Prokaryotes in Selected Thermophilic and Mesophilic Environments in Selected Hydrothermal Vents and Subsurface Environments
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 5.1 5.2 5.3 -
Enzymes of Ancient Metabolic Pathways
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 3.2 3.3 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.3 6.1 6.2 -
Subsurface Biospheres
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 2.2 4.3 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 7.1 7.2 -
Biosustainable Energy and Nutrient Cycles in the Deep Subsurface of Earth and Mars
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 4.3 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 7.2 -
Planetary Biology, Evolution and Intelligence
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.2 2.1 2.2 3.1 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.3 6.1 6.2 7.1 7.2 -
Bacterial Adaptation to Low Temperatures
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.2 5.1 5.3 6.2 -
Ecology and Physiology of Permafrost Bacteria
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 5.2 5.3 6.2 -
Molecular Survey of Extremophile Microbial Diversity in Hypersaline Ecosystems
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.4 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 7.1 7.2 -
Genetics of Permafrost Bacteria
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 5.1 5.3 6.2 -
Ecosystem to Biosphere Modeling
We refined the model of hypersaline mats Microbial BioGeoChemistry (MBGC). Working towards publication of the first version of the model (submitted May), we adopted many improvements into the model, or researched them as future adaptations.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 5.3 6.1 7.2 -
Genomes of Permafrost Bacteria
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 5.1 5.3 6.2 -
Indigenous Bateria of Arctic and Antarctic Permafrost
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 5.1 5.3 6.2 -
Life in Extreme Environments
Our team is interested in examining (1) the diverse mechanisms utilized by life to survive extremes of temperature, pressure, salinity and nutrient limitation, (2) the response of life to fundamental changes in the properties water, and (3) how the unique biochemistry associated with extremes can be used for life detection.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 5.2 5.3 -
Post Doc Recruitment – Water and Its Relation to Life in the Universe
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 4.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 7.1 7.2 -
Biosignatures and Abiosignatures
Rare samples from the Upper Oligocene Enspel Formation in Germany have previously been shown to contain exceptionally well-preserved bacterial fossils.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.2 4.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 7.1 7.2 -
Microbial Diversity and Population Structure Studies in the Rio Tinto
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 5.1 5.2 5.3 -
Protenomes of Permafrost Bateria
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 5.1 5.3 6.2 -
Interplanetary Pioneers
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 5.3 6.2 -
Evolution of Biocomplexity From an Ancient Autotrophic Lineage
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.2 3.3 4.2 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 -
Transcriptomes of Permafrost Bacteria
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 5.1 5.3 6.2 -
Subglacial Sampling in Iceland
University of Hawaii (UH) NAI-funded preparations for July field work at several sites in Iceland are underway.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.2 5.3 7.2 -
UH NAI Visiting Faculty Scholars Program
The University of Hawaii (UH)-NAI has established a Visiting Faculty Scholars program that brings external collaborators to work with local researchers.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 4.1 4.3 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 7.1 7.2 -
First-Stage Biofilm Formation Under Extreme Conditions in Ice
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 5.1 5.3 6.1 6.2 7.2 -
Geopulse
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 5.2 5.3 7.2 -
Genome Evolution and Innovation
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.3 -
Re-Tracing Steps Towards a Habitable World: The Biogeochemical Evolution of Sulfur on the Early Earth.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 3.1 4.1 4.3 5.2 5.3 6.2 7.1 7.2 -
Ultramafic-Hosted Springs in Subduction Zones
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 4.1 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 -
The Virtual Planetary Laboratory – The Life Modules
Progress has been made with submodels and fieldwork toward supporting a coherent model of how detectable biosignatures may be produced on extrasolar planets:
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 4.1 5.3 6.1 7.2 -
Laboratory Microbial Simulations: Astrobiological Signatures
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 5.2 5.3 7.2 -
Microbial Mat Communities
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.2 3.3 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 -
Water-Rock Chemistry and Habitats for Life
An exciting development related to this NAI project is the funding of a grant to design, construct, and test a prototype instrument for contamination-free sampling of basement rock fluids from deep-sea boreholes.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 -
Ocean Surfaces on Snowball Earth
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 5.3 -
Examinations of the Microbial Diversity Found in Ice Cores
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.2