Biology
Scientific paper
Dec 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008agufm.p51b1418s&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2008, abstract #P51B-1418
Biology
0406 Astrobiology And Extraterrestrial Materials, 5200 Planetary Sciences: Astrobiology, 6094 Instruments And Techniques, 6225 Mars
Scientific paper
The Viking biological investigation of Mars yielded controversial results. On the one hand it showed that Martian soil can decompose carbohydrates and amino acids as if it contained microorganisms. On the other hand, soil analysis revealed no indigenous organic carbon, suggesting that inorganic oxidants, such as hydrogen peroxide, may be responsible for the destruction of the added organics. One proposal for testing the two hypotheses calls for the use of pure isomers of organic nutrients. The selective destruction of one isomer would indicate biological activity, whereas the destruction of both isomers would indicate abiotic redox processes. This study provides experimental verification for this life detection scheme. Selected eukaryotes, bacteria, and archaea take up and utilize only D-glucose, not L-glucose. In contrast, chemical oxidation by permanganate destroys both D- and L-glucose. These findings, if replicated with more organisms, may justify a new in situ experiment on Mars to clarify the nature of its soil reactivity.
Saccomano V.
Sun Handong
No associations
LandOfFree
Stereo specificity in substrate utilization: a new Martian life detection approach does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Stereo specificity in substrate utilization: a new Martian life detection approach, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Stereo specificity in substrate utilization: a new Martian life detection approach will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1239159