NAI
2014 Annual Science Report
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Reporting | SEP 2013 – DEC 2014
Review and Synthesis
Project Summary
We reviewed aspects of biomarker formation and preservation. In one work, Briggs and Summons (2014), completed a review on Ancient biomolecules: their origin, fossilization and significance in revealing the history of life that was commissioned by the editor of Bioessays. The review was aimed at a general audience and outlined ways in which molecular biosignatures, ranging from the most unstable (DNA) to the most recalcitrant (lipids), could be informative about the evolution of life.
A second review (Summons, 2014) was prepared for a paleontology short course and dealt with how molecules could be informative about life and the environments in which it lived. This review also touched on the production of highly oxidizing substances through radical chemistry operating in the Martian atmosphere has resulted in environmental conditions that promote the destruction of organic matter.
Project Progress
We reviewed aspects of biomarker formation and preservation. In one work, Briggs and Summons (2014), completed a review on Ancient biomolecules: their origin, fossilization and significance in revealing the history of life that was commissioned by the editor of Bioessays. The review was aimed at a general audience and outlined ways in which molecular biosignatures, ranging from the most unstable (DNA) to the most recalcitrant (lipids), could be informative about the evolution of life.
A second review (Summons, 2014) was prepared for a paleontology short course and dealt with how molecules could be informative about life and the environments in which it lived. This review also touched on the production of highly oxidizing substances through radical chemistry operating in the Martian atmosphere has resulted in environmental conditions that promote the destruction of organic matter.
Publications
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Briggs, D. E. G., & Summons, R. E. (2014). Ancient biomolecules: Their origins, fossilization, and role in revealing the history of life. BioEssays, 36(5), 482–490. doi:10.1002/bies.201400010
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PROJECT INVESTIGATORS:
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PROJECT MEMBERS:
Derek Briggs
Co-Investigator
Roger Summons
Co-Investigator
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RELATED OBJECTIVES:
Objective 7.2
Biosignatures to be sought in nearby planetary systems