ArticleAstrobiology2015
The Significance of Microbe-Mineral-Biomarker Interactions in the Detection of Life on Mars and Beyond.
Article in Astrobiology, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed.
- Exploring Life Detection on Mars: Understanding Challenges in DNA Amplification in Martian Regolith Analogue After Fe Ion Irradiation.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Immunoanalytical Detection of Conserved Peptides: Refining the Universe of Biomarker Targets in Planetary Exploration.Analytical chemistry · 2024Article
- Improved protocol for metabolite extraction and identification of respiratory quinones in extremophilic Archaea grown on mineral materials.Frontiers in microbiology · 2024Article
- Microbial Ecosystems in Movile Cave: An Environment of Extreme Life.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Fundamental Science and Engineering Questions in Planetary Cave Exploration.Journal of geophysical research. Planets · 2022Review
- Comprehensive Metabolic and Taxonomic Reconstruction of an Ancient Microbial Mat From the McMurdo Ice Shelf (Antarctica) by Integrating Genetic, Metaproteomic and Lipid Biomarker Analyses.Frontiers in microbiology · 2022Article
- Effects of Radiation Intensity, Mineral Matrix, and Pre-Irradiation on the Bacterial Resistance to Gamma Irradiation under Low Temperature Conditions.Microorganisms · 2021Article
- Insights into the Geomicrobiology of Biovermiculations from Rock Billet Incubation Experiments.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Physiology, Metabolism, and Fossilization of Hot-Spring Filamentous Microbial Mats.Astrobiology · 2019Article
- Functional Properties of Amino Acid Side Chains as Biomarkers of Extraterrestrial Life.Astrobiology · 2018Article
- The Coevolution of Life and Environment on Mars: An Ecosystem Perspective on the Robotic Exploration of Biosignatures.Astrobiology · 2018Article
- AstRoMap European Astrobiology Roadmap.Astrobiology · 2016Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The detection of biomarkers plays a central role in our effort to establish whether there is, or was, life beyond Earth. In this review, we address the importance of considering mineralogy in relation to the selection of locations and biomarker detection methodologies with characteristics most promising for exploration. We review relevant mineral-biomarker and mineral-microbe interactions. The local mineralogy on a particular planet reflects its past and current environmental conditions and allows a habitability assessment by comparison with life under extreme conditions on Earth. The type of mineral significantly influences the potential abundances and types of biomarkers and microorganisms containing these biomarkers. The strong adsorptive power of some minerals aids in the preservation of biomarkers and may have been important in the origin of life. On the other hand, this strong adsorption as well as oxidizing properties of minerals can interfere with efficient extraction and detection of biomarkers. Differences in mechanisms of adsorption and in properties of minerals and biomarkers suggest that it will be difficult to design a single extraction procedure for a wide range of biomarkers. While on Mars samples can be used for direct detection of biomarkers such as nucleic acids, amino acids, and lipids, on other planetary bodies remote spectrometric detection of biosignatures has to be relied upon. The interpretation of spectral signatures of photosynthesis can also be affected by local mineralogy. We identify current gaps in our knowledge and indicate how they may be filled to improve the chances of detecting biomarkers on Mars and beyond.
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