Recently, the journal Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences published a special edition entitled, “Terrestrial Analogues of Extraterrestrial Environments: Assessing Habitability and Biosignatures Preservation.” The collection of papers highlights how astrobiologists study specific environments on Earth in order to better understand the potential habitability of other worlds and how biosignatures might be preserved in such locations over long periods of time.

One study looked at how 15 million years of exposure to ionizing radiation could affect biosignatures near the martian surface. Another examined how biosignatures are preserved in hot spring deposits on Earth in an attempt to determine how future missions might look for signs of ancient life in similar deposits on Mars. From studying the composition of materials at Antarctica’s Blood Falls using instruments and analytical techniques in the field, to diagnosing how radiation on Mars could transform biosignatures in sedimentary rocks, the research featured in the special edition could inform how and where future NASA missions search for signatures of ancient life in our solar system.

Papers resulting from research supported by the NASA Astrobiology Program include:

Roussel, A., et al. (2022) “Diagnostic biosignature transformation under simulated martian radiation in organic-rich sedimentary rocks,” Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences. DOI: 10.3389/fspas.2022.919828

Hinman, N.W., et. al. (2022) “Controls on Reactive Oxygen Species Cycles in Yellowstone Hot Springs: Implications for Biosignature Preservation on Mars,” Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences. DOI: 10.3389/fspas.2022.727015

Lau, G.E., et. al. (2022) “Sulfur- and Iron-Rich Mineralogical Features Preserved in Permafrost in the Canadian High Arctic: Analogs for the Astrobiological Exploration of Mars,” Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences. DOI: 10.3389/fspas.2022.825019

Sklute, E.C., et. al. (2022) “A Multi-Technique Analysis of Surface Materials From Blood Falls, Antarctica,” Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences. DOI:10.3389/fspas.2022.843174

Harris, C.M., et. al. (2022) “Remote and in-Situ Characterization of Mars Analogs: Coupling Scales to Improve the Search for Microbial Signatures on Mars,” Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences. DOI:10.3389/fspas.2022.849078

Roussel, A., et. al. (2022) “Diagnostic biosignature transformation under simulated martian radiation in organic-rich sedimentary rocks,” Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences. DOI:10.3389/fspas.2022.919828