Radiation Resistance of Biological Reagents for In Situ Life Detection
Name
Carr-2013-Radiation Resistance of Biological Reagents for In Situ Life Detection.pdf
Size
824.5 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
00f4c316598717a8f132d3d2432a806c
Author(s)
Carr, Christopher E.
Rowedder, Holli
Vafadari, Cyrus
Lui, Clarissa S.
Cascio, Ethan
Ruvkun, Gary
Zuber, Maria
Date Issued
January 2013
Journal
Astrobiology
Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert
Citation
Carr, Christopher E. et al. “Radiation Resistance of Biological Reagents for In Situ Life Detection.” Astrobiology 13.1 (2013): 68–78. ©2013 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Life on Mars, if it exists, may share a common ancestry with life on Earth derived from meteoritic transfer of microbes between the planets. One means to test this hypothesis is to isolate, detect, and sequence nucleic acids in situ on Mars, then search for similarities to known common features of life on Earth. Such an instrument would require biological and chemical components, such as polymerase and fluorescent dye molecules. We show that reagents necessary for detection and sequencing of DNA survive several analogues of the radiation expected during a 2-year mission to Mars, including proton (H-1), heavy ion (Fe-56, O-18), and neutron bombardment. Some reagents have reduced performance or fail at higher doses. Overall, our findings suggest it is feasible to utilize space instruments with biological components, particularly for mission durations of up to several years in environments without large accumulations of charged particles, such as the surface of Mars, and have implications for the meteoritic transfer of microbes between planets.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. School of Engineering
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1089/ast.2012.0869
