Objectives

The Mars-2020 mission offers a unique opportunity for the exploration of a single landing site, with the subsequent return to Earth of samples collected at that site. This mission architecture allows geobiologists to probe returned samples for evidence of past Martian life in terrestrial laboratories, using the most advanced capabilities available. Data from the last decade of Mars missions have shown that Mars hosted ancient deep hydrothermal, deep aquifer, shallow diagenetic, impact-processed/induced, and weathering environments.

Here we consider the Mars biosignature search, beginning with these common ancient Martian aqueous environments, to ask the question: What are the specific biosignatures of ancient rock-hosted life?

Via a series of initial webinars (open to the community) and a small in-person working meeting, we convene a group of scientists curious about these questions in a martian context and experienced in geobiological studies of terrestrial rock-hosted life environments. We draw heavily on the NAI community of researchers as well as experts pioneering new techniques for biosignature detection using advanced laboratory analytical approaches.

Our overarching goals are to
1) articulate the suite of biosignatures produced by paleo rock-hosted life
2) establish which facies types may preserve them

Findings will be presented at the 3rd Mars-2020 landing site workshop February 8-10, 2017 in Pasadena, CA ( info. here ) and then published as a report in a peer-reviewed journal.

Community Webinars: Searching for Rock Hosted Life on Mars (webinar connection info below)

​Telecon 1: Martian Environments, Facies, and Ages: Evidence for Rock-Hosted Waters
What is the evidence for ancient Mars environmental conditions? What is the likelihood of habitats for rock-hosted life? 
December 19, 8:30AM PST // facilitated by Bethany Ehlmann, Paul Niles
( ppt here | recording here | cited refs list ) 

Telecon 2: Metabolisms and Niches for Terrestrial Rock-Hosted Life
Where rock-hosted life found on earth today? What are its metabolisms and products?
December 20, 8:30AM PST // facilitated by Tullis Onstott, Jeff Marlow
(ppt here | recording here | cited refs list ) 
 
Telecon 3: Paleo-Rock-Hosted Life Biosignature Detection and Characterization
How do we detect signs of paleo (non-extant) rock-hosted life? Where/how do we find evidence for this on Earth?
January 13, 8:30AM PST // facilitated by Barbara Sherwood-Lollar, Haley Sapers
( ppt here | | recording here | cited refs list ) 

Telecon 4: Advanced Instrumentation Techniques for Finding Biosignatures
What are the latest techniques in biosignature detection, including new capabilities expected in the next decades? (e.g. in mass spectrometry, synchrotron-based analyses, nano-SIMS)
January 23, 9:30AM PST // facilitated by Max Coleman, Paul Niles
( ppt here | recording here | cited refs list ) 

Connection Information 
The URL for the meeting is https://connect.arc.nasa.gov/rocklife2017/ Select "Enter as a Guest", type in your name and click the "Enter Room" button. Telecon line is 844-467-6272, passcode 250961

In-Person Working Meeting

On February 6th and 7th, we will meet on the campus of Caltech to discuss key questions raised during the webinars and group correspondence, and synthesize findings, creating graphics and text for presentation and publication. We have reached room capacity. Please contact the organizers if there are key pieces of work we should consider and do participate actively in the open webinars (above).

In-Person Meeting Speakers & Attendees

Confirmed Invitees:
Jan Amend (University of Southern California)
Charles Cockell (Edinburgh University)
Danny Glavin (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)
Kai Hinrichs (University of Bremen)
Magnus Ivarssons (Naturehistoriska Riksmuseet, Sweden)
Sean Loyd (University of California-Fullerton)
Sarah Stewart Johnson (Georgetown University)
Benedicte Menez (Institut Physique du Globe)
Maggie Osburn (Northwestern University)
Barbara Sherwood-Lollar (Univeristy of Toronto)
Greg Slater (McMaster University)
Alexis Templeton (University of Colorado)
Greg Wanger (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
Frances Westall* (Centre National de Rescheres, Orleans)
Boswell Wing (University of Colorado)
Ed Young (University of California-Los Angeles)
(*=participating remotely)

Confirmed In-Person Invitees (cont'd):
(Pending)
 
Organizers:
Bethany Ehlmann (Caltech)
Tullis Onstott (Princeton)
Max Coleman (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
Jeff Marlow (Harvard)
Paul Niles (NASA Johnson Space Center)
Haley Sapers (Caltech)

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Contact Bethany Ehlmann (ehlmann@caltech.edu) and TC Onstott (tullis@princeton.edu) for additional information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Acknowledgement to weebly.com for the website template