Keywords:
Exobiology-Congresses.
;
Life on other planets-Congresses.
;
Electronic books.
Description / Table of Contents:
Astrobiology is the multi-disciplinary field devoted to the investigation of the origin; physical, chemical and environmental limitations; and the distribution in space and time of life on Earth and in the Cosmos. Astrobiology seeks an answer to one of the most fundamental of all questions: Is Life Restricted to Planet Earth or is Life a Cosmic Imperative? Understanding the characteristics, properties, habits and diversity of living organisms on Earth is crucial to determine where and how to search for evidence of life elsewhere. New techniques and methodologies must be developed in order to determine a suitable suite of valid biomarkers that is needed to facilitate the differentiation of abiotic processes from true signatures of life. This is crucial to establish the criteria needed to properly evaluate potential biosignatures in ancient Earth rocks and in a wide variety of Astromaterials. This volume includes papers treating many of these topics. They range from considerations of relict microbial communities of extreme environments to complex organic molecules. Other papers discuss the use of stable isotopes and their biological fractionation as a baseline for evaluating extraterrestrial evidence and the use of chirality and composition of indigenous amino acids for differentiating between terrestrial and extraterrestrial organic matter in Astromaterials. Also treated in this volume are geomorph parallels, sediment patterns, and cyclicities in permafrost sediments of Earth and Mars; the survival of bacteria in space, eclipsing binaries and advanced DNA and protein chip technology for future robotic missions to search for life in the Solar System.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
Pages:
1 online resource (232 pages)
Edition:
1st ed.
ISBN:
9781607501152
Series Statement:
NATO Science Series, I: Life and Behavioural Sciences Series ; v.366
URL:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/geomar/detail.action?docID=265935
DDC:
576.839
Language:
English
Note:
Title page -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- NATO Participants -- List of Student Participants -- Contents -- Nature of Framboidal Structures in Black Shales (the Cambrian of the Siberian Platform and the Permian of the Barents Sea Shelf) -- Bacteriomorphic Structures From the Sinsk Formation (Lower Cambrian of the Siberian Platform) -- Constraining Subglacial Settings Using Clay-Supported Ice Rafted Detritus (Mud Grains) in Antarctic Marine Sediment: A Framework for Astrobiology -- Apsidal Motion Problem in the Eclipsing Binary Star DR Vulpeculae -- Amino Acids: Probes for Life's Origin in the Solar System -- Mineralization of Cyanobacteria -- Microfossils, Biominerals, and Chemical Biomarkers in Meteorites -- Survival of Microorganisms in Space, an Experimental Contribution to the Discussion on Viable Transfer of Life in the Solar System -- Reactions of Urazole and its Analogs with Sugars and Metals under Prebiotic Conditions -- Apatite as Biosignature -- Tikhov's Astrobotany as a Prelude to Modern Astrobiology -- Computation of Sediment Cycles on Mars and Earth -- Landscape, Sediment, Red Soil, Permafrost Geomorph Parallels on Earth and Mars -- Biochemical Markers in Rock Coatings -- The Influence of Space Parameters like Solar Ultraviolet Radiation on the Survival of Microorganisms -- Bacterial Paleontology -- Paleobiological and Biogeochemical Vestiges of Early Terrestrial Biota: Baseline for Evaluation of Extraterrestrial Evidence -- Formation of Ordered Structures of Charged Grains in Gas-Dusty Atmospheres of Planets and Comets during Lightning Discharge -- Exobiology of Titan -- The Role of Living and Nonliving Organic Matter in Volkonskoite Formation -- Astrobiotechnology: Alternative Concepts for Astrobiology Solar System Exploration -- The Study of Remains of Microorganisms in Ancient Earth Sedimentary Rocks for Astrobiology.
,
Recent Microbiology and Precambrian Paleontology -- Author Index.
Permalink
