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Growth of Methanogens on a Mars Soil Simulant Under Simulated Martian Conditions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2017

Timothy A. Kral ,
Curtis R. Bekkum  and
Christopher P. Mckay
Timothy A. Kral
Affiliation:
Arkansas-Oklahoma Center for Space and Planetary Sciences, SCIE-416, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, U.S.A.
Curtis R. Bekkum
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, SCIE-416, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, U.S.A.
Christopher P. Mckay
Affiliation:
Space Science Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Mail Stop 245-3, Moffett Field, CA 94035, U.S.A.

Abstract

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Due to the hostile conditions at the surface, any life forms existing on Mars today would most likely inhabit a subsurface environment where conditions are potentially wetter and warmer, but organic compounds may be lacking and light energy for photosynthesis would be absent. Methanogens, members of the domain Archaea, are microorganisms from planet Earth that can grow under these relatively extreme conditions. We have demonstrated that certain methanogenic species can indeed grow on a Mars soil simulant, JSC Mars-1, with limited amounts of water, under conditions approaching a possible subsurface environment on Mars.

Type
Archaea
Information
Symposium - International Astronomical Union , Volume 213: Bioastronomy 2002: Life Among the stars , 2004 , pp. 389 - 394
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of the Pacific 2004 

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