Detection of the signatures and environments of life on Earth and other planetary bodies from their

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Detection of the signatures and environments of
life on Earth and other planetary bodies from
their organic and mineralogical records
University of Wisconsin - Madison Jet Propulsion
Laboratory University of Georgia
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Major focus on isotopic biosignatures

• Isotopic compositions of Corg delivery and
  degradation
• Isotopic and chemical compositions of oxides,
  sulfides, sulfates, and carbonates
• Emphasis on the mineralogical record left by life
  
• In situ isotopic compositions on other planetary
  bodies

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Research Team

• PI Clark Johnson
• Co-Is
• Brian Beard (U.W. Madison)
• Max Coleman (JPL)
• Pascale Ehrenfreund (JPL)
• Eric Roden (U.W. Madison)
• Christopher Romanek (Univ. GA/SREL)
• Nita Sahai (U.W. Madison)
• Mahadeva Sinha (JPL)
• John Valley (U.W. Madison)
• Huifang Xu (U.W. Madison)
• Collaborators
• Nic Beukes (University of Johannesburg)
• Laurent Binet (Ecole Nationale Supérieure de
  Chimie de Paris)
• Marjorie Chan (University of Utah)

• Collaborators - Cont
• Sylvie Derenne (Ecole Nationale Supérieure de
  Chimie de Paris)
• Noriko Kita (U.W. Madison)
• Kase Klein (University of New Mexico)
• Craig Marshall (Sydney University)
• Stephen Moorbath (Oxford University)
• Hiroshi Ohmoto (Penn State University)
• Javier Sanchez (Spanish Geological Survey)
• Edwin Schauble (U.C.L.A.)
• Mark Sephton (Imperial College, London)
• Kosei Yamaguchi (IFREE- JAMSTEC, Japan)

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Education and Public Outreach Team

• Lead Rich Slaughter (Geology Museum, U.W.
  Madison)
• Co-I
• Kay Ferrari (JPL)
• Collaborators
• Geoff Holt (Madison Public Schools)
• Brooke Swanson (Geology Museum, U.W. Madison)
• Ellen Van Pay (Green Bay School District)

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Research Program

• Investigation 1 The inventory of organics in a
  planetary body Acquisition and modification
  during biogenic and abiogenic processes
• Investigation 2 Development of biosignatures,
  paleoenvironmental proxies, and pathway tracers
  for aqueous-mineral systems
• Investigation 3 Testing covariations of
  biosignatures and paleoenvironmental indicators
  in natural terrestrial systems
• Investigation 4 Development of in situ
  instrumentation to detect isotopic biosignatures
  on planetary missions

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Investigation 1

• Task 1 Characterization of extraterrestrial
  organic matter
• Lead Pascale Ehrenfreund
• Task 2 Survival of organics in simulated
  planetary environments
• Lead Pascale Ehrenfreund

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Investigation 2, Task 1 Experimental studies of
O, S, and Fe isotope fractionation in sulfate
mineral genesis

• Pyrite oxidation (Lead Max Coleman)
• FeS2(s) 14Fe3(aq) 8H2O(l) ? 15Fe2(aq)
  2SO42-(aq) 16H(aq)
• Sulfate mineral synthesis (Lead Chris Romanek)
• Incl. melanterite - FeIISO47H2O, rozenite -
  FeIISO44H2O, szomolnokite - FeIISO4H2O,
  produced during pyrite oxidation
• jarosite - KFeIII3(SO4)2(OH)6, alunite -
  KAl3(SO4)2(OH)6
• schwertmannite - FeIII8O8(SO4)(OH)6
• "green rust" - FeII1-xFeIIIx(OH)2-yAZ(xy)/Z
  nH2O
• Sulfate evaporation (Max Coleman)
• Isotopic exchange kinetics (Max Coleman)
• H218O(l) S16O42-(aq) ? H216O(l) S16O318O2-(aq)

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Investigation 2, Task 2 Carbonate mineral
genesis

• Controls on chemical compositions
• Lead Chris Romanek
• Organic ligand-promoted carbonate nucleation
• Lead Chris Romanek
• Silica-promoted heterogeneous carbonate
  nucleation
• Lead Nita Sahai
• Effect of Surface Charge and Other Ions
• Lead Nita Sahai
• Biological production of mixed cation carbonates
• Lead Eric Roden

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Investigation 2, Task 2 Carbonate mineral
genesis

• Experimental determination of C, O, Mg, Ca, and
  Fe isotope fractionation factors for Ca-Mg-Fe
  carbonates
• Lead Brian Beard

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Investigation 2, Task 3 Oxide mineral genesis

• Experimental determination of bacterial oxide
  formation low-pH Fe oxidation in the absence of
  pyrite
• Lead Eric Roden
• Geochemical reaction modeling
• Pathway-dependent isotopic fractionations
• Experimental determination of O and Fe isotope
  fractionation during hematite, goethite,
  ferrihydrite, and magnetite formation
• Lead Clark Johnson
• Equilibrium and kinetic fractionations
• Isotopic exchange reactivity
• Effects of Fe sorption
• Effects of complex media (Ca(aq), Si(aq), etc.)
• Comparison with biological fractionation
  experiments (NSF funded)

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Investigation 3 Oxides, carbonates, and
sulfides/sulfates in natural systems
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Investigation 3

• Task 1 O, S, and Fe isotope studies of modern
  acid-sulfate systems Rio Tinto, Spain
• Lead Max Coleman
• Task 2 O and Fe isotope studies of terrestrial
  analogs for iron oxide concretion formation
• Navajo Sandstone, Utah (Lead Clark Johnson)
• Oxidation of Fe2-bearing concretions (Lead Max
  Coleman)

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Investigation 3 Cont.

• Task 3 Isotopic biosignatures and
  paleoenvironmental indicators in the Archean
  terrestrial record
• Lead Clark Johnson
• Isotopic constraints on development of sulfate-
  and Fe(III)-reducing metabolisms
• 3.7-3.8 Ga BIFs in the Isua Supracrustal Belt, SW
  Greenland
• 3.5-2.7 Ga oxide, carbonate, and pyrite
  occurrences in the Pilbara (NW Australia) and
  Kaapvaal (S Africa) cratons
• 3.46 Ga Marble Bar Chert, Pilbara craton
• 3.4 Ga paleosols, Strelley Pool Chert and North
  Shaw, Pilbara craton
• 3.0 Ga BIFs, Pilbara craton
• 2.9-3.0 Ga oolitic hematite and magnetic shales
  in iron formations of the Mozaan Group, Kaapvaal
  craton
• 2.7 Ga pyrite-bearing shales of the Fortescue
  Group, Pilbara craton
• 2.5 Ga BIFs in the Pilbara and Kaapvaal cratons

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Investigation 4 Development of in situ
instrumentation to detect isotopic biosignatures
on planetary missions

• Lead Mahadeva Sinha
• Task 1 Oxide, carbonate, and sulfate mineral
  decomposition methods for isotope analysis
• Task 2 Evaluation of precision and accuracy of
  isotopic analysis using the MMS

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EPO Program Coordinated by UW Madison Geology
Museum
gt40,000 visitors annually, including gt13,000 K-12
students on tours
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Madison-based EPO

• Museum Exhibit on Biosignatures
• Lead Rich Slaughter
• Planetarium Program on Astrobiology and
  Biosignatures
• Lead Geoff Holt
• Web-based general course on Astrobiology
• Lead Brooke Swanson
• Astrobiology and Art
• Lead Rich Slaughter
• The Rock Concert a Musical Celebration of Deep
  Time (by world-renowned saxophonist Roy
  Nathanson) picked up by BBC, CNN, the Late
  Show with David Letterman
• Sculptural works in elemental sulfur by Kalpana
  Prakash
• Glass and sulfur plasma discharge sculpture by
  Scott Schapiro
• Sulfur-based photographic prints by Michael Ware

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JPL-based EPO

• Solar System Ambassadors Program
• Lead Kay Ferrari
• SSAP at JPL since 1997
• Currently 450 Ambassadors in 50 states, D.C.,
  and Puerto Rico there were 2,071 events in FY05,
  which cumulatively attracted 1,141,434 people
• New materials in Astrobiology will be developed
• Solar System Educators Program
• Lead Ellen Van Pay
• Astrobiology for the Classroom Educating K-12
  Teachers and Students