Possible present day habitats for life on Mars (Including potential Mars special regions): Difference between revisions
Possible present day habitats for life on Mars (Including potential Mars special regions) (edit)
Revision as of 10:05, 15 June 2019
, 4 years ago→Conferences on the topic of present day habitats for life on Mars
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*Summary:
{{quote|Finding evidence of extant life on Mars would be a watershed event. We have evidence on Mars for many environments that may have been habitable in the past, but the range of possible biogeochemistries those environments allow, the co-evolution of those environments with life, the specific niches that are most likely to host detectable biosignatures, and the path forward to explore those environments are still key unknowns. We invite contributions that (1) explore the succession of physical and environmental processes and their combination on Early Mars, (2) evaluate (ideally quantitatively!) the geo/environmental context of potential sites for biological exploration of Mars, (3) detail the most promising locations, instrument concepts, and strategies for investigating these ecosystems, (4) define the relevant objects, substances or patterns that could serve as definitive biosignatures for martian life, and (5) investigate metabolisms, survival strategies, and energy sources that may be relevant to the search for biosignatures on Mars.}}
*Theme: Solar System Sites
*Session: Mars
*Subsession: Biomarkers
*Topic: Modern and Ancient Biosignatures and the Search for Life on Mars
*Short Title (listed on abstract submission form): Modern and Ancient Biosignatures and the Search for Life on Mars
*Organizers: Andrew Czaja (University of Cincinnati), andrew.czaja@uc.edu, Scott Perl (JPL, USC), scott.m.perl@jpl.nasa.gov , Jeff Havig (University of Cincinnati), jeffhavig@gmail.com, and Andrew Gangidine (University of Cincinnati), agangidine@gmail.com
*Summary:
{{quote|The burden of proof for confirming the existence of life outside of our planet will be unprecedented in scientific history. Finding extraterrestrial microorganisms (whether fossil or extant) would provide the most direct evidence of life. Given planetary protection concerns, we are more likely to sample fossil microorganisms, but the biogenicity of ancient terrestrial microfossils is greatly debated owing to often poor preservation. Thus, other biosignatures are typically required to establish the biogenicity of putative ancient microfossils and other microbial structures. By developing additional novel biosignatures and combining multiple techniques for establishing biogenicity, we can find evidence of life that is more convincing. Such techniques would provide invaluable tools for the search for extraterrestrial life. This session seeks to highlight work being done to develop novel biosignatures or to use established biosignatures to search for new evidence of early life on Earth and/or past or present life on Mars.}}
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There were two main topics,
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Biosignature detection on Mars III: Habitability studies<br>
4:15 p.m (six speakers)<br><br>
Wednesday, April 26, 2017 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 pm: Modern Mars habitability I (8 speakers, each 15 minutes).▼
https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/abscicon2017/pdf/sess406.pdf (https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/abscicon2017/pdf/sess406.pdf)<br>▼
'''''"Modern Mars Habitability"'''''
{{quote|Recent discoveries on Mars, including recurring slope lineae, ground ice, and active gully formation, have been interpreted as indications for the transient presence of water. The potential for liquid water on Mars has profound implications for the habitability of the modern Mars environment. This session solicits papers that examine the evidence for habitable environments on Mars, present results about life in analogs to these environments, discuss hypotheses to explain the active processes, evaluate issues for planetary protection, and explore the implications for future explorations of Mars.}}
▲Wednesday, April 26, 2017 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 pm: Modern Mars habitability I (8 speakers, each 15 minutes).
▲https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/abscicon2017/pdf/sess406.pdf (https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/abscicon2017/pdf/sess406.pdf)<br>
1:30 pm to 3.45 pm Modern Mars habitability II (ten speakers)
[https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/abscicon2017/pdf/sess454.pdf]
There were other sessions that relevant to the topic, though not particularly focused on extant life including.<br>▼
▲There were other sessions
'''''Modern and Ancient Biosignatures and the Search for Life on Mars'''''
{{quote|The burden of proof for confirming the existence of life outside of our planet will be unprecedented in scientific history. Finding extraterrestrial microorganisms (whether fossil or extant) would provide the most direct evidence of life. Given planetary protection concerns, we are more likely to sample fossil microorganisms, but the biogenicity of ancient terrestrial microfossils is greatly debated owing to often poor preservation. Thus, other biosignatures are typically required to establish the biogenicity of putative ancient microfossils and other microbial structures. By developing additional novel biosignatures and combining multiple techniques for establishing biogenicity, we can find evidence of life that is more convincing. Such techniques would provide invaluable tools for the search for extraterrestrial life. This session seeks to highlight work being done to develop novel biosignatures or to use established biosignatures to search for new evidence of early life on Earth and/or past or present life on Mars.}}
Modern and ancient biosignatures and the search for life on Mars I 10:15 a.m.
8 speakers. This was about both past and present life detection
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