2014 Annual Science Report
Pennsylvania State University Reporting | SEP 2013 – DEC 2014
Executive Summary
Biosignatures from Earth and Beyond
The Penn State Astrobiology Research Center pushed ahead with notable advances in several very exciting areas. Overall, we continue to have a focus on developing new biosignatures, searching for biosignatures in relevant microbial environments, searching for biosignatures in ancient rocks, and the discovery and exploration of exoplanets. Our efforts focus on creating innovative approaches for the analyses of cells and other organic material, finding ways in which metal abundances and isotope systems reflect life, and developing creative approaches for using environmental DNA to study present and past life. Also, the Earth’s Archean and Proterozoic eons offer the best opportunity for investigating a microbial world, such as might be found elsewhere in the cosmos. The ancient record on Earth provides an opportunity to see what geochemical signatures are produced by microbial life and how these signatures are preserved over geologic ... Continue reading.
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Christopher House
NAI, ASTEP, ASTID, Exobiology -
TEAM Active Dates:
2/2009 - 1/2015 CAN 5 -
Team Website:
http://php.scripts.psu.edu/dept/psarc/ -
Members:
90 (See All) - Visit Team Page
Project Reports
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Developing New Biosignatures
This project works to develop new biosignatures based on element, molecules, or isotopes. For example, we are working with the method secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) to analyze microorganisms or microfossils. We are also looking at the Isolation and analysis of F430, archaeol, and IPL-archaeol from the Cascadia Margin. We are also interested in DNA as a biosignature. For that work, we are extracting DNA from deep sea sediment and other difficult environments. Finally, we are also investigating prebiotic molecules in order to known which carbon-containing biomolecules can not be reasonable biosignatures.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.1 7.1 7.2 -
Biosignatures in Extraterrestrial Settings
The Biosignatures in Extraterrestrial Environments group works on finding and characterizing exoplanets, in particular through very high resolution spectroscopy; and developing new techniques for finding exoplanets and characterizing their properties. It also works on understanding the evolution and dynamics of planetary systems, including the solar system, and the role of astrophysical processes in establishing and sustaining life in extraterrestrial environments.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.1 2.2 3.1 4.1 4.3 6.2 7.1 7.2 -
Biosignatures of Ancient Rocks – Hedges Group
Our work involves the design, assembly, and release to the public of a tree of life calibrated to geologic time (timetree). It is needed by astrobiologists to help determine the source of biomarkers for the presence of life in the geologic record.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.3 3.4 4.1 4.2 7.1 7.2 -
Biosignatures of Life in Extremely Energy-Limited Environments
The terrestrial subsurface is the least explored habitat on earth and is characterized by darkness and reducing conditions that limit how fast microbes can obtain energy (low energy fluxes). The diversity and metabolic strategies of microbes in this environment are the subject of our investigation.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 4.3 5.1 5.3 7.1 -
Biosignatures of Life in Ancient Stratified Ocean Analogs
Instigated by Macalady and Kump in 2010, this project investigates biosignatures of life in modern analogs for stratified ancient and/or extraterrestrial oceans. The primary field site is a sinkhole in Florida. Other field site include stratified ocean analogs in the Bahamas, New York State, and the Dominican Republic. A website monitoring the activities of an informal working group on Early Earth Photosynthesis is maintained by Macalady (http://www.geosc.psu.edu/~jlm80/EEP.html).
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 3.3 3.4 4.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 7.1 7.2 -
Biosignatures in Ancient Rocks – Kasting Group
We have been working on two things: 1) the question of whether there are plausible “false positives” for life on extrasolar planets, i.e., high abiotic O2 and/or O3 levels that might be confused with evidence for photosynthesis, and 2) hydrodynamic escape of hydrogen from H2- or H2O-rich primitive atmospheres. We are developing a two-component model to describe this process. Old single-component models evidently do not obey the diffusion limit, so are are trying to remedy that.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 4.1 7.2 -
Biosignatures in Ancient Rocks – Kump Group
We are analyzing FAR-DEEP cores that span the putative “oxygen overshoot” associated with the termination of the Great Oxidation Event, 2.0 billion years ago. The volcanic rocks in question are highly oxidized. Our hypothesis is that oxygen-enriched groundwaters altered these rocks during a time interval when atmospheric oxygen concentrations approached modern levels, falling subsequently to lower values characteristic of the ensuing billion years. Kump has also proposed a new explanation for the “second rise of atmospheric oxygen” in the Neoproterozoic (ca. 850 Ma).
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 4.1 4.2 4.3 5.2 6.1 -
Biosignatures in Ancient Rocks – Ohmoto Group
This project has been aimed at understanding the chemical and biological natures of the ocean-atmosphere-lithosphere systems during the Archean. A second objective is testing a hypothesis that the MIF-S isotope signatures, which characterize some Archean and younger sedimentary rocks, were generated during reactions between hydrothermal fluids and organic-rich sediments, rather than through atmospheric reactions.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 4.1 6.1
Publications
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Claire, M. W., Kasting, J. F., Domagal-Goldman, S. D., Stüeken, E. E., Buick, R., & Meadows, V. S. (2014). Modeling the signature of sulfur mass-independent fractionation produced in the Archean atmosphere. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 141, 365–380. doi:10.1016/j.gca.2014.06.032
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Franz, H. B., Kim, S-T., Farquhar, J., Day, J. M. D., Economos, R. C., McKeegan, K. D., … James Dottin, I. I. I. (2014). Isotopic links between atmospheric chemistry and the deep sulphur cycle on Mars. Nature, 508(7496), 364–368. doi:10.1038/nature13175
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Glass, J. B., Yu, H., Steele, J. A., Dawson, K. S., Sun, S., Chourey, K., … Orphan, V. J. (2013). Geochemical, metagenomic and metaproteomic insights into trace metal utilization by methane-oxidizing microbial consortia in sulphidic marine sediments. Environmental Microbiology, 16(6), 1592–1611. doi:10.1111/1462-2920.12314
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Hamilton, T. L., Bovee, R. J., Thiel, V., Sattin, S. R., Mohr, W., Schaperdoth, I., … MacAlady, J. L. (2014). Coupled reductive and oxidative sulfur cycling in the phototrophic plate of a meromictic lake. Geobiology, 12(5), 451–468. doi:10.1111/gbi.12092
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Hamilton, T. L., Jones, D. S., Schaperdoth, I., & MacAlady, J. L. (2015). Metagenomic insights into S(0) precipitation in a terrestrial subsurface lithoautotrophic ecosystem. Frontiers in Microbiology, 5. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2014.00756
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Harman, C. E., Kasting, J. F., & Wolf, E. T. (2013). Atmospheric Production of Glycolaldehyde Under Hazy Prebiotic Conditions. Orig Life Evol Biosph, 43(2), 77–98. doi:10.1007/s11084-013-9332-7
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Hedges, S. B. (n.d.). The Origin of Life. Oxford Bibliographies Online Datasets. doi:10.1093/obo/9780199941728-0045
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Jones, D. S., Kohl, C., Grettenberger, C., Larson, L. N., Burgos, W. D., & MacAlady, J. L. (2014). Geochemical Niches of Iron-Oxidizing Acidophiles in Acidic Coal Mine Drainage. Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 81(4), 1242–1250. doi:10.1128/aem.02919-14
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Kasting, J. F. (2014). Atmospheric composition of Hadean–early Archean Earth: The importance of CO. Earth’s Early Atmosphere and Surface Environment, None, 19–28. doi:10.1130/2014.2504(04)
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Kasting, J. F., & Harman, C. E. (2013). Extrasolar planets: Inner edge of the habitable zone. Nature, 504(7479), 221–223. doi:10.1038/504221a
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Kasting, J. F., Kopparapu, R., Ramirez, R. M., & Harman, C. E. (2013). Remote life-detection criteria, habitable zone boundaries, and the frequency of Earth-like planets around M and late K stars. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(35), 12641–12646. doi:10.1073/pnas.1309107110
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Kopparapu, R. K., Ramirez, R. M., SchottelKotte, J., Kasting, J. F., Domagal-Goldman, S., & Eymet, V. (2014). HABITABLE ZONES AROUND MAIN-SEQUENCE STARS: DEPENDENCE ON PLANETARY MASS. The Astrophysical Journal, 787(2), L29. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/787/2/l29
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Kump, L. R. (2014). Hypothesized link between Neoproterozoic greening of the land surface and the establishment of an oxygen-rich atmosphere. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 111(39), 14062–14065. doi:10.1073/pnas.1321496111
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Marlow, J. J., LaRowe, D. E., Ehlmann, B. L., Amend, J. P., & Orphan, V. J. (2014). The Potential for Biologically Catalyzed Anaerobic Methane Oxidation on Ancient Mars. Astrobiology, 14(4), 292–307. doi:10.1089/ast.2013.1078
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Marlow, J. J., Steele, J. A., Case, D. H., Connon, S. A., Levin, L. A., & Orphan, V. J. (2014). Microbial abundance and diversity patterns associated with sediments and carbonates from the methane seep environments of Hydrate Ridge, OR. Frontiers in Marine Science, 1. doi:10.3389/fmars.2014.00044
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Marlow, J. J., Steele, J. A., Ziebis, W., Thurber, A. R., Levin, L. A., & Orphan, V. J. (2014). Carbonate-hosted methanotrophy represents an unrecognized methane sink in the deep sea. Nat Comms, 5, 5094. doi:10.1038/ncomms6094
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Olson, S. L., Kump, L. R., & Kasting, J. F. (2013). Quantifying the areal extent and dissolved oxygen concentrations of Archean oxygen oases. Chemical Geology, 362, 35–43. doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2013.08.012
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Ramirez, R. M., Kopparapu, R. K., Lindner, V., & Kasting, J. F. (2014). Can Increased Atmospheric CO 2 Levels Trigger a Runaway Greenhouse?. Astrobiology, 14(8), 714–731. doi:10.1089/ast.2014.1153
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Ramirez, R. M., Kopparapu, R., Zugger, M. E., Robinson, T. D., Freedman, R., & Kasting, J. F. (2013). Warming early Mars with CO2 and H2. Nature Geosci, 7(1), 59–63. doi:10.1038/ngeo2000
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Shapiro, B., & Hofreiter, M. (2014). A Paleogenomic Perspective on Evolution and Gene Function: New Insights from Ancient DNA. Science, 343(6169), 1236573–1236573. doi:10.1126/science.1236573
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Smith, K. E., Callahan, M. P., Gerakines, P. A., Dworkin, J. P., & House, C. H. (2014). Investigation of pyridine carboxylic acids in CM2 carbonaceous chondrites: Potential precursor molecules for ancient coenzymes. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 136, 1–12. doi:10.1016/j.gca.2014.04.001
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Todd, Z. R., & House, C. H. (2014). Vesicles Protect Activated Acetic Acid. Astrobiology, 14(10), 859–865. doi:10.1089/ast.2014.1185
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Yesavage, T., Thompson, A., Hausrath, E. M., & Brantley, S. L. (2015). Basalt weathering in an Arctic Mars-analog site. Icarus, 254, 219–232. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.03.011
2014 Teams
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Arizona State University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
NASA Ames Research Center
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory - Icy Worlds
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory - Titan
Pennsylvania State University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
University of Hawaii, Manoa
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Southern California
University of Wisconsin
VPL at University of Washington