Laboratory simulation of interplanetary ultraviolet radiation (broad spectrum) and its effects on Deinococcus radiodurans

Paulino-Lima, Ivan G.; Pilling, S.; Janot-Pacheco, E.; Brito, A. Naves de; Barbosa, J.A.R.G.; Leitão, Álvaro C.; Lage, Claudia

doi:10.1016/j.pss.2010.04.010

Cited by 23 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Ecopoiesis is a word mentioned by Robert Haynes in 1984 and published in 1989 21 and is related to the creation of new ecosystems in other planets. This terminology summarises the former concept of planetary ecosynthesis, first coined in 1979 by Averner and MacElroy 22 .…”

Section: Final Considerationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Astronomic Bioethics: Terraforming X Planetary protection

Palhares

Santos²

2017

Bangladesh J Bioethics

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A hard difficulty in Astrobiology is the precise definition of what life is. All living beings have a cellular structure, so it is not possible to have a broader concept of life hence the search for extraterrestrial life is restricted to extraterrestrial cells. Earth is an astronomical rarity because it is difficult for a planet to present liquid water on the surface. Two antagonistic bioethical principles arise: planetary protection and terraforming. Planetary protection is based on the fear of interplanetary cross-infection and possible ecological damages caused by alien living beings. Terraforming is the intention of modifying the environmental conditions of the neighbouring planets in such a way that human colonisation would be possible. The synthesis of this antagonism is ecopoiesis, a concept related to the creation of new ecosystems in other planets. Since all the multicellular biodiversity requires oxygen to survive, only extremophile microorganisms could survive in other planets. So, it could be carried out a simulation of a meteorite by taking to other planets portions of the terrestrial permafrost, or ocean or soil, so that if a single species could grow, a new ecosystem would start, as well as a new Natural History. As a conclusion, ecopoiesis should be the bioethical principle to guide practices and research in Astrobiology.

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Section: Final Considerationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Astronomic Bioethics: Terraforming X Planetary protection

Palhares

Santos²

2017

Bangladesh J Bioethics

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“…The breakdown of larger organic molecules, such as PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), also take place, resulting in by-products that can also be important precursors of biomolecule. In addition to astrochemistry, the available beamlines are also being used to analyse the survivability of micro-organisms in conditions found in the outer space or in exposed planetary surfaces (Paulino-Lima et al 2010Abrevaya et al 2011), and can be used in combination with AstroLab's simulation chamber. This synchrotron facility is open for Brazilian and international users through the submission of research proposals, which are evaluated by merit, originality and feasibility.…”

Section: Present Status and Future Perspectives In Astrobiology In Brmentioning

confidence: 99%

Astrobiology in Brazil: early history and perspectives

Rodrigues

Galante

Paulino-Lima

et al. 2012

International Journal of Astrobiology

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This review reports the Brazilian history in astrobiology, as well as the first delineation of a vision of the future development of the field in the country, exploring its abundant biodiversity, highly capable human resources and state-of-the-art facilities, reflecting the last few years of stable governmental investments in science, technology and education, all conditions providing good perspectives on continued and steadily growing funding for astrobiology-related research. Brazil is growing steadily and fast in terms of its worldwide economic power, an effect being reflected in different areas of the Brazilian society, including industry, technology, education, social care and scientific production. In the field of astrobiology, the country has had some important landmarks, more intensely after the First Brazilian Workshop on Astrobiology in 2006. The history of astrobiology in Brazil, however, is not so recent and had its first occurrence in 1958. Since then, researchers carried out many individual initiatives across the country in astrobiology-related fields, resulting in an ever growing and expressive scientific production. The number of publications, including articles and theses, has particularly increased in the last decade, but still counting with the effort of researchers working individually. That scenario started to change in 2009, when a formal group of Brazilian researchers working with astrobiology was organized, aiming at congregating the scientific community interested in the subject and to promote the necessary interactions to achieve a multidisciplinary work, receiving facilities and funding from the University de Sao Paulo and other funding agencies.

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“…The non-spore forming radioresistant bacteria Deinococcus radiodurans was prepared as a deeply dehydrated cell powder and exposed to increasing doses of VUV synchrotron radiation mimicking the solar spectrum. If trapped into a porous carbon tape ( Figure 1) and shielded by cell multilayers surrounded by organic matrix material, D. radiodurans was shown to survive doses equivalent to ~420 days exposure to unfiltered VUV at 1 AU (Paulino-Lima et al, 2010b). Under an astrobiological perspective, this data can be interpreted as one possible context for incoming microparticulate, extremophile-contaminated material to disperse on top atmospheric layers, with cells remaining viable for more than one year suspended before landing on the planet surface at any point of Earth history.…”

Section: Brazilian Experimental Setup To Test a Novel Concept In The mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mini-Review: Probing the limits of extremophilic life in extraterrestrial environment-simulated experiments

Lage

Dalmaso

Teixeira

et al. 2012

International Journal of Astrobiology

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Astrobiology is a brand new area of science that seeks to understand the origin and dynamics of life in the universe. Several hypotheses to explain life in the cosmic context have been developed throughout human history, but only now technology has allowed many of them to be tested. Laboratory experiments have been able to show how chemical elements essential to life, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen combine in biologically important compounds. Interestingly, these compounds are found universally. As these compounds were combined to the point of originating cells and complex organisms is still a challenge to be unveiled by science. However, our 4.5 billion years-old solar system was born within a 10-billion years-old universe. Thus, simple cells like microorganisms may have had time to form in planets older than ours or other suitable molecular places in the universe. One hypothesis to explain the origin of life on Earth is called panspermia, which predicts that microbial life could have been formed in the universe billions of years ago, traveling between planets, and inseminating units of life that could have become more complex in habitable planets like ours. A project designed to test viability of extremophile microorganisms exposed to simulated extraterrestrial environments is ongoing at the Carlos Chagas Filho Institute of Biophysics to test whether microbial life could withstand those inhospitable environments. Ultra-resistant (known or novel ones) microorganisms collected from terrestrial extreme environments, extremophiles, have been exposed to intense radiation sources simulating solar radiation (synchrotron accelerators), capable of emitting in a few hours radiation equivalent of million years accumulated doses. The results obtained in these experiments have revealed a remarkable resistance of extremophilic bacteria and archaea against different radiation sources (VUV, solar wind simulants, X rays) whenever protected by microsized carbonaceus grains. Altogether, the collected data suggest the interesting possibility of the existence of microbial life beyond Earth and its transfer among habitable bodies, which we have called microlithopanspermia.

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Laboratory simulation of interplanetary ultraviolet radiation (broad spectrum) and its effects on Deinococcus radiodurans

Cited by 23 publications

References 37 publications

Astronomic Bioethics: Terraforming X Planetary protection

Astronomic Bioethics: Terraforming X Planetary protection

Astrobiology in Brazil: early history and perspectives

Mini-Review: Probing the limits of extremophilic life in extraterrestrial environment-simulated experiments

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