Strategies of Life Detection / Edition 1

by Oliver Botta, Jeffrey Bada, Javier Gïmez Elvira, Emmanuelle Javaux, Franck Selsis

Overview

The search for life outside the Earth has been one of mankind's most challenging quests. We have reached a level of technology that allows for initial steps toward thorough scientific investigation. The aim of this workshop was to take an interdisciplinary look at the signatures that would be indicative of past or present life on another planet and compare them to biosignatures on Earth.

The purpose of the workshop was also to discuss state-of-the-art in-situ instruments that are envisioned to search for these signatures in the exploration of the solar system, as well as the discussion of concepts descriptive of the search for habitable planets around other stars.

This book is intended to provide a reference to scientists and instrument developers working in the field of in-situ and remote life detection. It can also be used as an interdisciplinary introduction for students and post-doctoral researchers entering this new and exciting field.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780387775159
Publisher:	Springer US
Publication date:	08/27/2008
Series:	Space Sciences Series of ISSI , #25
Edition description:	2008
Pages:	382
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.80(d)

Table of Contents

Foreword J.L. Bada J. Gomez-Elvira E. Javaux M. Rosing F. Selsis R. Summons R.M. Bonnet O. Botta 1

Introduction

Towards a Definition of Life: The Impossible Quest? A. Lazcano 5

The Solar System

Infrared Spectroscopy of Solar-System Planets T. Encrenaz 11

Extraterrestrial Organic Matter and the Detection of Life M.A. Sephton O. Botta 25

Astrobiology and Habitability of Titan F. Raulin 37

An Approach to Searching for Life on Mars, Europa, and Enceladus C.P. McKay 49

Biosignatures

Morphological Biosignatures

Accretion, Trapping and Binding of Sediment in Archean Stromatolites-Morphological Expression of the Antiquity of Life W. Altermann 55

Biogenerated Rock Structures W.E. Krumbein 81

Morphological Biosignatures in Early Terrestrial and Extraterrestrial Materials F. Westall 95

Molecular Biosignatures

Gene Transfer and the Reconstruction of Life's Early History from Genomic Data J.P. Gogarten G. Fournier O. Zhaxybayeva 115

Molecular Biosignatures R.E. Summons P. Albrecht G. McDonald J.M. Moldowan 133

Fossil Lipids for Life-Detection: A Case Study from the Early Earth Record J.L. Eigenbrode 161

Chirality and Life L.D. Barron 187

Isotopic Biosignatures

Multiple-Sulphur Isotope Biosignatures S. Ono 203

Stable Isotope Ratios as a Biomarker on Mars M. van Zuilen 221

In-Situ Instrumentation

Viking Biology Experiments: Lessons Learned and the Role of Ecology in Future Mars Life-Detection Experiments A.C. Schuerger B.C. Clark 233

Morphological Biosignatures from Subsurface Environments: Recognition on Planetary Missions B.A. Hofmann 245

Exploration of the Habitability of Mars: Development of Analytical Protocols for Measurement ofOrganic Carbon on the 2009 Mars Science Laboratory P. Mahaffy 255

Urey: Mars Organic and Oxidant Detector J.L. Bada P. Ehrenfreund F. Grunthaner D. Blaney M. Coleman A. Farrington A. Yen R. Mathies R. Amudson R. Quinn A. Zent S. Ride L. Barron O. Botta B. Clark D. Glavin B. Hofmann J.L. Josset P. Rettberg F. Robert M. Sephton 269

Raman Spectroscopy-A Powerful Tool for in situ Planetary Science N. Tarcea T. Frosch P. Rosch M. Hilchenbach T. Stuffler S. Hofer H. Thiele R. Hochleitner J. Popp 281

Protein Microarrays-Based Strategies for Life Detection in Astrobiology V. Parro L.A. Rivas J. Gomez-Elvira 293

Remote Sensing of (Exo)Planets

On the "Galactic Habitable Zone" N. Prantzos 313

Earthshine Observation of Vegetation and Implication for Life Detection on Other Planets L. Arnold 323

Searching for Signs of Life in the Reflected Light from Exoplanets: A Catalog of Nearby Target Stars M.C. Turnbull 335

Exoplanet Transit Spectroscopy and Photometry S. Seager 345

Future Space Missions to Search for Terrestrial Planets M. Fridlund 355

Summary

"Strategies of Life Detection": Summary and Outlook O. Botta J.L. Bada J. Gomez-Elvira E. Javaux F. Selsis R. Summons 371

Editorial Reviews

From the reviews:

“This is a collection of papers from the International Space Science Institute workshop … . The book is well laid out, with uniformity in style, clear tables and illustrations, several of which are in colour. … Each paper has an abstract and a full set of references. … this book is likely to grace the shelves of university libraries and specialists in astrobiology, but it is of interest to anyone with a strong fascination … . I certainly recommend it.” (Barrie W. Jones, Contemporary Physics, Vol. 51 (4), 2010)

From the Publisher