Unveiling microbial preservation under hyperacidic and oxidizing conditions in the Oligocene Rio Tinto deposit
Entity
UAM. Departamento de Biología MolecularPublisher
Nature ResearchDate
2021-11-02Citation
10.1038/s41598-021-00730-8
Scientific Reports 11.1 (2021): 21543
ISSN
2045-2322 (online)DOI
10.1038/s41598-021-00730-8Editor's Version
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-00730-8Subjects
Mars Craters; Mars Science Laboratory; Crater; Biología y Biomedicina / BiologíaRights
© The Author(s) 2021, corrected publication 2021Abstract
The preservation of biosignatures on Mars is largely associated with extensive deposits of clays formed under mild early Noachian conditions (> 3.9 Ga). They were followed by widespread precipitation of acidic sulfates considered adverse for biomolecule preservation. In this paper, an exhaustive mass spectrometry investigation of ferric subsurface materials in the Rio Tinto gossan deposit (~ 25 Ma) provides evidence of well-preserved molecular biosignatures under oxidative and acidic conditions. Time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF–SIMS) analysis shows a direct association between physical-templating biological structures and molecular biosignatures. This relation implies that the quality of molecular preservation is exceptional and provides information on microbial life formerly operating in the shallow regions of the Rio Tinto subsurface. Consequently, low-pH oxidative environments on Mars could also record molecular information about ancient life in the same way as the Noachian clay-rich deposits
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Google Scholar:Fernández‑Remolar, David C.
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Carrizo, David
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Harir, Mourad
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Huang, Ting
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Amils Pibernat, Ricardo
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Schmitt‑Kopplin, Philippe
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Sánchez‑García, Laura
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Gomez‑Ortiz, David
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Malmberg, Per
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