The action of high-energy radiation on prebiotic chiral molecules plays against the preservation of chirality. Chiral molecules incorporated in comets and meteorites are bombarded for billions of years by cosmic rays and by the high-energy radiation due to the decay of naturally occurring radionuclides. The action of cosmic rays on the surface of comets and meteorites causes the complete radiation processing of the surface of these bodies, but at depths of 20 m or so the cosmic rays are completely shielded and the radiation should derive only from the decay of radionuclides. In 4.6×109 yr the radiation dose supplied by the radionuclide decay to the organic molecules present inside the cometary or meteoritic body is equivalent to 14000 kGy. Our studies on the radiolysis of a series of naturally occurring chiral molecules, the terpenes, have shown that although all undergo the radioracemization reaction, the extent of radioracemization is such that a significant fraction of chiral excess and chiral molecules can survive a radiation dose equivalent to 14000 kGy. A unique exception is represented by the terpene β-(−)-pinene which, instead of the expected radioracemization reaction, undergoes a radiation-induced polymerization. The resulting poly-β-pinene, having an highly ordered supramolecular structure, displays an optical activity which is 1.7 times higher than the starting monomer. Thus, in this specific case, the optical activity is not reduced but enhanced by the action of radiation and remains locked into a polymer which displays a considerable radiation resistance and may act as a chiral template and as a chiral surface for prebiotic chemistry.

This paper investigates the possible use of space probes to explore the Milky Way, as a means both of finding life elsewhere in the Galaxy and as finding an answer to the Fermi paradox. Exploration of the Galaxy is simulated by first examining how long time it takes a given number of space probes to explore 40 000 stars in a box from −300 to 300 pc above the Galactic thin disc, as a function of Galactic radius. The Galaxy is then modelled to consist of ∼260 000 of these 40 000 stellar systems all located in a defined Galactic Habitable Zone and how long a time it takes to explore this zone is shown. The result is that with eight probes, each with eight subprobes, ∼4% of the Galaxy can be explored in 2.92×108 years. Increasing the number of probes to 200, still with eight subprobes each, reduces the exploration time to 1.52×107 years.

The hypothesis of the explosion of a number of planets and moons of our Solar System during its 4.6-billion-year history is in excellent accord with all known observational constraints, even without adjustable parameters or ad hoc helper hypotheses. Many of its boldest predictions have been fulfilled. In most instances, these predictions were judged highly unlikely by the current standard models. Moreover, in several cases, the entire exploded planet model was at risk of being falsified if the predictions failed. The successful predictions include: (1) satellites of asteroids; (2) satellites of comets; (3) salt water in meteorites; (4) ‘roll marks’ leading to boulders on asteroids; (5) the time and peak rate of the 1999 Leonid meteor storm; (6) explosion signatures for asteroids; (7) the strongly spiked energy parameter for new comets; (8) the distribution of black material on slowly rotating airless bodies; (9) splitting velocities of comets; (10) the asteroid-like nature of Deep Impact target Comet Tempel 1; and (11) the presence of high-formation-temperature minerals in the Stardust comet dust sample return. In physics and astronomy, hypotheses are either falsified if their predictions fail, or proved to be of value if they succeed. By all existing evidence, the exploded planet hypothesis has proved far more useful than the half-dozen or so hypotheses it would replace. Among the many important corollaries are these. (a) Perhaps as many as six former planets of our Solar System have exploded over its 4.6-billion-year history. (b) In particular, Mars is not an original planet, but a former moon of an exploded planet. (c) As a major player in Solar System evolution, the exploded planet scenario must be considered as a likely propagation vehicle for the spread of biogenic organisms. We conclude with a brief mention of three possible planetary explosion mechanisms.

We have used a simple camera phone to significantly improve an ‘exploration system’ for astrobiology and geology. This camera phone will make it much easier to develop and test computer-vision algorithms for future planetary exploration. We envision that the ‘Astrobiology Phone-cam’ exploration system can be fruitfully used in other problem domains as well.

The feasibility of immunological detection using antibodies as an approach to detect and study alien life forms is examined. The latter could either mean alternative forms of life on planet Earth or extraterrestrial life. As a detection reagent for biological substances, antibodies have the advantage of being conformational, rather than sequence-dependent. Their high affinity to cognate antigens allows detection at picomolar levels. Antibodies could serve both as tools for detection as well as for the concentration of samples. Panels of highly specific antibodies could be made against a plethora of natural or synthetic biomarkers, for example stereoisomers of amino acids, nucleotide analogues, lipids, polysaccharides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. With detection reagents efficiently packaged and miniaturized as immunosensor chips in analytical panels, antibody microarrays could serve as the first line of detection and identification of biological remnants in situ during exploratory missions. Specific antibodies could also be used for affinity concentration of possible biomarkers obtained from sample return missions. Furthermore, antibodies raised against any alien biological samples could be the first specific probes made for further detection of, or investigations on, alien biology.

Microbes, particularly Archaea, are well-known for their superb adaptation to extreme environments. However, amazing adaptations to extreme stresses do not only occur in microbes, but also in many multicellular organisms. Examples include tardigrades and their capability to survive freezing to near absolute zero, the Pompeii worm withstanding temperatures of up to 105°C, the Crucian carp remaining active in anoxic conditions for several months, and resurrection plants, which can survive near-complete desiccation. Here, we review some of the cryptobiotic strategies and adaptations exhibited in multicellular organisms, and point out their relevance to astrobiology.

Equilibrium temperatures are calculated for porous, organic spheres at a Solar distance of around 1 AU. It is found that the equilibrium temperature of porous grains is highly sensitive to their composition and radius. For porous organic grains of radius 0.1 μm the temperature ranges from 355 to 386 K as the porosity (vacuum volume fraction) increases from 0 to 0.9; for organic grains of radius 0.1 μm with 10% charring the corresponding range is from 448 to 431 K. Such superheated submicron grains, porous or otherwise, may have only a limited role as transporters of fragile biomolecules. Clumps of biological particles with radii in excess of 5 μm are, however, at low enough temperatures to permit such transport at 1 AU.

30 years after the Viking Mission landed on Mars (20 July 1976) to search for life, despite the positive findings of the Labelled Release (LR) experiment, the issue remains unresolved. The controversial history, following the immediate dismissal of the LR’s evidence for microbial activity in the Martian soil, and the later claim to its having found living microorganisms are reviewed. The bearing of post-Viking-to-current data on the issue is discussed in the context of the scientific community’s growing interest in the long-dismissed possibility of microbial life on Mars. Objections raised over the years to the biological interpretation of the Mars LR, those currently maintained, and their rebuttals are reviewed. A case is presented that enough evidence now exists for an objective review by astrobiologists to resolve this key issue, a review, surprisingly, not yet held. The results could greatly influence NASA’s currently shifting plans for Mars exploration. A variation of the LR experiment to test for chiral specificity in the metabolism of substrates by the active agent found in the Martian soil, and thus having the capability of obtaining an unambiguous answer to the life question, is proposed. Confirmation of life on Mars by this experiment can also determine whether Martian and Earth life forms share a common heritage. Together with mounting evidence for the viable transfer of microorganisms between the two planets, this would be evidence for panspermia, and establish the presence of a common biosphere in which the two planets participate. Should Martian microorganisms show a different chiral specificity than that of Earth life then this would indicate separate origins of the two neighbouring life forms, thereby strongly implying that life occurs widely throughout the cosmos. Any one of these possible outcomes would be a paradigm-breaking event.

The photolysis of dilute solutions of octacyclosulphur or hexacyclosulphur in n-hexane with 253.6 nm UV radiation produces S and possibly S2. The ‘ring-opening’ yields of these sulphur molecules range from 0.2 to 0.7. When the hydrogen end-capped polyyne C10H2 is irradiated in n-hexane, it transforms into unidentified products with a quantum yield of 3×10−5. When octacyclosulphur is added to the solution, the yield rises to 7×10−3. The putative sulphur-bearing product(s) could not be identified. It is suggested that sulphur-bearing molecules might be formed in astronomical settings by reactions of carbon molecules having triple or double C—C bonds with photolytically produced S and/or S2.

Human exploration missions to the Moon or Mars might be helped by the development of a bioregenerative advanced life-support (ALS) system that utilizes higher plants to regenerate water, oxygen and food. In order to make bioregenerative ALS systems competitive to physiochemical life-support systems, the ‘equivalent system mass’ (ESM) must be reduced by as much as possible. One method to reduce the ESM of a bioregenerative ALS system would be to deploy an automated remote sensing system within plant production modules to monitor crop productivity and disease outbreaks. The current study investigated the effects of canopy structure and imaging geometries on the efficiency of measuring the spectral reflectance of individual plants and crop canopies in a simulated ALS system. Results indicate that canopy structure, shading artefacts and imaging geometries are likely to create unique challenges in developing an automated remote sensing system for ALS modules. The cramped quarters within ALS plant growth units will create problems in collecting spectral reflectance measurements from the nadir position (i.e. directly above plant canopies) and, thus, crop canopies likely will be imaged from a diversity of orientations relative to the primary illumination source. In general, highly reflective white or polished surfaces will be used within an ALS plant growth module to maximize the stray light that is reflected onto plant canopies. Initial work suggested that these highly reflective surfaces might interfere with the collection of spectral reflectance measurements of plants, but the use of simple remote sensing algorithms such as 760/685 band ratios or normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) images greatly reduced the effects of the reflective backgrounds. A direct comparison of 760/685 and NDVI images from canopies of lettuce, pepper and tomato plants indicated that unique models of individual plants are going to be required to properly assess the health conditions of canopies. A mixed model of all three plant species was not effective in predicting plant stress using either the 760/685 or NDVI remote sensing algorithms.

Recent findings on the presence of water on Mars (Baker, V.R. (2006). Geomorphological evidence for water on Mars. Elements2(3), 139–143; DeJong, E. (2006). Geological evidence of the presence of water on Mars. Abstracts from the 40th Western Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Anaheim, CA, January, 2006, pp. 22–25. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC; McSween, H.Y. Jr. (2006). Water on Mars. Elements2(3), 135–137; Mitrofanov, I.G. (2005). Water explorations on Mars. Priroda9, 34–43) strongly suggest that there existed a period of chemical evolution eventually leading to life processes on primitive Mars (Kanavarioti, A. & Maneinelli, R.L. (1990). Could organic matter have been preserved on Mars for 3.5 billion years. Icarus84, 196–202). Owing to the adverse conditions, it is quite likely that the process of chemical evolution would have been suppressed and any living organisms that formed would have become extinct over time on Mars. The presence of water as a necessity for the survival of living organisms and the presence of grey haematite, originated under aqueous conditions, have led us to investigate the possible role of haematite in the chemical evolution on Mars. Our observations suggest that iron oxide hydroxide (FeOOH), a precursor of haematite, has a much higher binding affinity towards ribose nucleotides (the building blocks of RNA) than the haematite itself. This would mean that during the process of haematite formation, especially through the probable process of Fe3+ hydrolysis by aqueous ammonia, the precursors of haematite might have played a significant role in the processes leading to chemical evolution and the possible origin of life on Mars.

In this paper we present a unified, quantitative synthesis of analytical and numerical calculations of the effects that could be caused on Earth by a gamma-ray burst (GRB), considering atmospheric and biological implications. The main consequences of the illumination by a GRB are grouped into four distinct classes and analysed separately, namely: direct γ flash, UV flash, O3 layer depletion and cosmic rays. The effectiveness of each of these classes is compared and distances for significant biological damage are given for each one. We find that the first three effects have the potential to cause global environmental changes and biospheric damage, even if the source is located at galactic distances or even farther afield (up to 150 kpc, where 1 parsec=3.09×1016 m, about five times the Galactic diameter of 30 kpc). Instead, cosmic rays would only be a serious threat for close sources (of the order of a few parsecs).

As a concrete application from a well-recorded event, the effects on the biosphere of an event identical to the giant flare of SGR1806-20 on 27 December 2004 have been calculated. In spite of not belonging to the so-called ‘classical’ GRBs, most of the parameters of this recent flare are quite well known and have been used as a calibration for our study. We find that a giant flare impinging on Earth is not a threat for life in all practical situations, mainly because it is not as energetic, in spite of being much more frequent than GRBs, unless the source happens to be extremely close.

The effects of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation on water solutions of tyrosine (HO—C6H4—CH2—CHNH2—COOH) have been investigated using a Xe lamp in the region 200–800 nm. This is a step in laboratory simulation towards reproducing the action of the Solar radiation on the building blocks of life, specifically α-amino acids, in the primitive Earth anoxic conditions. Results are presented showing the photostability of tyrosine against different UV doses. Degradation products partly maintain life building capability and partly do not. A tendency towards structure complexification was observed. The analysis of the irradiated tyrosine solutions was conducted using various spectroscopic and analytic techniques. The laboratory results are discussed in the light of a primordial life-emerging scenario.

From Darwin to the double helix, the last 150 years have seen revolutionary changes in our understanding of life in the Universe. In this time, works of science fiction have provided a valuable, and often overlooked, reflection of the assumptions and attitudes held by society to such changes. This paper will consider key works of film and fiction as a commentary on emergent features of astrobiology, including the work of Fred Hoyle, Olaf Stapledon's Last and First Men (1930) and Star Maker (1937), and Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick's cinematic classic, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). These popular culture texts represent a useful and inspiring communication of science. Their critical discourse is the reducible gap between the new worlds uncovered by science and the fantastic strange worlds of the imagination. As such, they exemplify a way in which the culture and science of popular astrobiology can be fused.

Water-soluble sulphate minerals such as epsomite and gypsum have been reported on a number of planetary bodies of astrobiological interest and their presence is often used as an indicator for potential habitability as it can indicate the presence of liquid water. The sulphate minerals can incorporate biomarkers and biomolecules as intracrystalline inclusions. These intracrystalline inclusions are protected from their exterior chemical environments and their analysis can yield a biomarker record, even in environments where extreme oxidizing conditions may have degraded any record present in non-intracrystalline organic matter. In this study, organic compounds were incorporated within epsomite as intracrystalline inclusions by co-precipitating a mineral from solutions of a mineral and organic compound. A feasibly study utilizing a microfluidic H-cell to process finely ground samples of the inclusion-bearing epsomite indicates that a similar device may be used to extract biomarkers for analysis.

The Solar System passes within 5 pc of star-forming nebulae every ∼50–100 million years, a distance which can be bridged by protected micro-organisms ejected from the Earth by impacts. Such encounters disturb the Oort cloud, and induce episodes of bombardment of the Earth and the ejection of microbiota from its surface. Star-forming regions within the nebulae encountered may thus be seeded by significant numbers of microorganisms. Propagation of life throughout the Galactic habitable zone ‘goes critical’ provided that, in a typical molecular cloud, there are at least 1.1 habitable planets with impact environments similar to that of the Earth. Dissemination of microbiota proceeds most rapidly through the molecular ring of the Galaxy.

This study was motivated by the fact that some amino acids are currently identified in carbonaceous chondrites but none are yet observed in the interstellar medium. The question of the relative stability of these prebiotic compounds with respect to the other possible species of the same chemical formula is addressed by means of quantum chemical simulations based on density functional theory (DFT). A preliminary investigation of molecules with the formula C2H5O2N shows that glycine (H2NCH2COOH) is not the most stable compound that can be formed: it is ~10 kcal mol−1 higher in energy than CH3NHCOOH, which becomes the most likely candidate for a search in space. The same argument of relative stability used to explained why formamide H2N-HC=O was identified in the interstellar medium (rather than any of its isomers) provides here a rationalization of the permanent debate about the detection of glycine. A second investigation of protonated derivatives of the same series that may result from ion molecule chemistry shows that under its nitrogen protonated form (H3N+CH2COOH) glycine does become the most stable compound. This suggests that, if glycine presently detected in chondrites has an interstellar origin, it must have been synthetized as its protonated form by ion–molecule processes. A similar study was carried out on the corresponding glycine N-carboxyanhydride. The calculated rotational constants (GHz) of glycine A=10.3603; B=3.8590; C=2.9037 (Exp: 10.3418; 3.8762; 2.9123, respectively) served as the benchmark to derive the correcting factors necessary to estimate the rotational constants of the possible candidates within a few tenths of a percent. The dipole moments were determined and the values in the range 4–6 Debye obtained for the protonated species should be large enough to initiate laboratory experiments and/or observations. Theoretical infrared spectra are also provided to assist in the identification of these exotic species.

The Regenerative Enclosed Life Support Module Simulator (REMS) was designed to simulate the conditions aboard the International Space Station (ISS). This unique terrestrial, encapsulated environment for humans and their associated organisms allowed investigations into the microbial communities within an enclosed habitat system, primarily with respect to diversity, phylogeny and the possible impact on human health. To assess time- and/or condition-dependent changes in microbial diversity within REMS, a total of 27 air samples were collected during three consecutive months. The microbial burden and diversity were elucidated using culture-dependent and culture-independent molecular methods. The results indicate that during controlled conditions the total microbial burden detected by culture-dependent techniques (below a detectable level to 102 cells m−3 of air) and intracellular ATP assay was significantly low (102–103 cells m−3 of air), but increased during the uncontrolled post-operation phase (∼104 cells m−3 of air). Only Gram-positive and α-proteobacteria grew under tested culture conditions, with a predominant occurrence of Methylobacterium radiotolerans, and Sphingomonas yanoikuyae. Direct DNA extraction and 16S rDNA sequencing methodology revealed a broader diversity of microbes present in the REMS air (51 species). Unlike culture-dependent analysis, both Gram-positive and proteobacteria were equally represented, while members of a few proteobaterial groups dominated (Rhodopseudomonas, Sphingomonas, Acidovorax, Ralstonia, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, and Psychrobacter). Although the presence of several opportunistic pathogens warrants further investigation, the results demonstrated that routine maintenance such as controlling the humidity, crew’s daily cleaning, and air filtration were effective in reducing the microbial burden in the REMS.

Panspermia, the dissemination of life through space, would require resistance to the conditions found in space, including UV light. All known life forms depend on DNA to store information. In an effort to understand the liabilities of DNA to UV light and modes of DNA protection in terrestrial life forms, we established UV–VUV (125–340 nm) absorption spectra for dry DNA and its polymerized components and mononucleotides, as well as for a selection of potential UV screens ubiquitous in all organisms, including proteins, selected amino acids and amines (polyamines and tyramine). Montmorillonite clay was included as a potential abiotic UV screen. Among the potential screens tested, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) appeared to be particularly attractive, because its UV absorption spectrum was similar to that of DNA. We suggest that the use of ATP in UV protection could have pre-dated its current role in energy transfer. Spectroscopy also showed that UV absorption varied according to nucleotide content, suggesting that base pair usage could be a factor in adaptation to given UV environments and the availability of UV screens.

The effects of near ultraviolet (UV) irradiation on water solutions of phenylalanine and tryptophan have been investigated using a broad-band xenon lamp in the region 200–800 nm. This is a step in the laboratory simulation of the effects of Solar radiation on the building blocks of life, specifically α-amino acids, with regards to the origin of life. Results are presented showing the photodegradation of phenylalanine and tryptophan against different UV doses. Some of the degradation products are still protein amino acids. An analysis of the irradiated solutions is carried out by spectroscopic and analytic techniques. The laboratory simulations are discussed in the wake of a life emerging scenario on the primitive Earth.