Viable halobacteria from Permo-Triassic salt deposits and the possibility of extraterrestrial microbial life

Details Viable halobacteria from Permo-Triassic salt deposits and the possibility of extraterrestrial microbial life Viable halobacteria from Permo-Triassic salt deposits and the possibility of extraterrestrial microbial life

Aug 2001

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001esasp.496...25s&link_type=abstract

In: Exo-/astro-biology. Proceedings of the First European Workshop, 21 - 23 May 2001, ESRIN, Frascati, Italy. Eds.: P. Ehrenfreu

Biology

2

Exobiology

Scientific paper

The range of physico-chemical parameters for the presence of life is ever expanding, making it conceivable to search in seemingly inhospitable environments for extraterrestrial forms of life. Extremely halophilic archaebacteria (haloarchaea) were isolated from ancient salt deposits, adding another dimension - potentially exorbitant longevity - to the unusual characteristics of prokaryotic life. Distribution of haloarchaea in salt sediments appears to be world-wide; one particular strain, Halococcus salifodinae, was found in Alpine and Zechstein sediments. By using amplification of 16S rRNA genes with DNA extracted from rock salt, we obtained evidence for numerous haloarchaea, which have not been cultivated yet. Phylogenetic analysis revealed novel taxa within known lineages of haloarchaea. The results could be of relevance for astrobiology: together with the recent findings of halite, sylvite and water in some meteorites, it is intriguing to consider a specific search for extreme halophiles in Mars return samples or other materials from celestial bodies.

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