Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
A. Sanchez-Lavega, T. del Rio-Gaztelurrutia, R. Hueso, M. de la Torre Juarez, G. M. Martinez, A. -M. Harri, M. Genzer, M. Hieta, J. Polkko, J. A. Rodriguez-Manfredi, M. T. Lemmon, J. Pla-Garcia, D. Toledo, A. Vicente-Retortillo, D. Viudez-Moreiras, A. Munguira, L. K. Tamppari, C. Newman, J. Gomez-Elvira, S. Guzewich, T. Bertrand, V. Apestigue, I. Arruego, M. Wolff, D. Banfield, I. Jaakonaho, T. Makinen
Summary: This study uses the pressure sensors on Mars rover Perseverance to measure the pressure field in the Jezero crater on an hourly basis. The study covers the period from sol 15 to sol 460, revealing the daily pressure cycle, seasonal evolution of the mean pressure field driven by CO2 sublimation and deposition at the poles, characterization of atmospheric tides and their relationship to dust content, wave disturbances with periods of 2-5 sols, short period oscillations interpreted as internal gravity waves, transient pressure drops produced by vortices, and turbulent fluctuations. The study also analyzes the effects of a regional dust storm over Jezero at L-s 155 degrees on pressure measurements.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-PLANETS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
J. I. Simon, K. Hickman-Lewis, B. A. Cohen, L. E. Mayhew, D. L. Shuster, V. Debaille, E. M. Hausrath, B. P. Weiss, T. Bosak, M. -P. Zorzano, H. E. F. Amundsen, L. W. Beegle, J. F. Bell, K. C. Benison, E. L. Berger, O. Beyssac, A. J. Brown, F. Calef, T. M. Casademont, B. Clark, E. Clave, L. Crumpler, A. D. Czaja, A. G. Fairen, K. A. Farley, D. T. Flannery, T. Fornaro, O. Forni, F. Gomez, Y. Goreva, A. Gorin, K. P. Hand, S. -e. Hamran, J. Henneke, C. D. K. Herd, B. H. N. Horgan, J. R. Johnson, J. Joseph, R. E. Kronyak, J. M. Madariaga, J. N. Maki, L. Mandon, F. M. McCubbin, S. M. McLennan, R. C. Moeller, C. E. Newman, J. I. Nunez, A. C. Pascuzzo, D. A. Pedersen, G. Poggiali, P. Pinet, C. Quantin-Nataf, M. Rice, J. W. Rice Jr, C. Royer, M. Schmidt, M. Sephton, S. Sharma, S. Siljestrom, K. M. Stack, A. Steele, V. Z. Sun, A. Udry, S. VanBommel, M. Wadhwa, R. C. Wiens, A. J. Williams, K. H. Williford
Summary: The first samples collected by the Mars 2020 mission from the Jezero Crater floor contain evidence of igneous lithologies and aqueous activity, including major rock-forming minerals and various water-soluble minerals. Analysis of these samples will provide insights into the geological processes and the planet's interior at the time of rock formation, as well as the timing and conditions of aqueous activity. The returned samples will also help to understand the crater chronology of Mars and the habitability of Jezero Crater.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-PLANETS
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
L. Mandon, P. Beck, C. Quantin-Nataf, E. Dehouck, A. Pommerol, Z. Yoldi, R. Cerubini, L. Pan, M. Martinot, V Sautter
Summary: In the coming decade, two rovers equipped with near-infrared reflectance spectrometers will characterize the mineralogy of rocks on Mars in situ. Martian meteorites are currently the only available samples for study until sample-return missions are completed, but the spectral database for these samples is limited in diversity. Point spectrometry is effective in discriminating different Martian meteorite families and identifying their primary petrology, but high-resolution imaging spectroscopy is necessary for identifying various mineral phases accurately.
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Igor Mitrofanov, Anton Sanin, Maxim Litvak, Dmitry Golovin, Sergey Nikiforov
Summary: This article introduces a novel concept of conducting x-ray remote sensing experiments aboard a Mars Rover to study the composition of the Martian shallow subsurface with high spatial resolution. By recording only the photons produced in reactions of neutron inelastic scattering on surface constituting elements, using time tags of particles from Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) as a means of producing these reactions, it is possible to determine the composition of the Martian regolith with a spatial resolution of meters along the Mars Rover traverse.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Javier Cuadros, Joseph R. Michalski, Janice L. Bishop, Christian Mavris, Saverio Fiore, Vesselin Dekov
Summary: The study focuses on mineralogical analysis on Mars using cameras with limited wavelength resolution but high target resolution to find spectral features detectable by Mars cameras and diagnostic of specific minerals, with particular emphasis on the spectral features of interstratified glauconitenontronite.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
James F. Bell, Justin N. Maki, Sanna Alwmark, Bethany L. Ehlmann, Sarah A. Fagents, John P. Grotzinger, Sanjeev Gupta, Alexander Hayes, Ken E. Herkenhoff, Briony H. N. Horgan, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Kjartan B. Kinch, Mark T. Lemmon, Morten B. Madsen, Jorge Nunez, Gerhard Paar, Melissa Rice, James W. Rice, Nicole Schmitz, Robert Sullivan, Alicia Vaughan, Mike J. Wolff, Andreas Bechtold, Tanja Bosak, Louise E. Duflot, Alberto G. Fairen, Brad Garczynski, Ralf Jaumann, Marco Merusi, Chase Million, Eleni Ravanis, David L. Shuster, Justin Simon, Michael St Clair, Christian Tate, Sebastian Walter, Benjamin Weiss, Alyssa M. Bailey, Tanguy Bertrand, Olivier Beyssac, Adrian J. Brown, Piluca Caballo-Perucha, Michael A. Caplinger, Christy M. Caudill, Francesca Cary, Ernest Cisneros, Edward A. Cloutis, Nathan Cluff, Paul Corlies, Kelsie Crawford, Sabrina Curtis, Robert Deen, Darian Dixon, Christopher Donaldson, Megan Barrington, Michelle Ficht, Stephanie Fleron, Michael Hansen, David Harker, Rachel Howson, Joshua Huggett, Samantha Jacob, Elsa Jensen, Ole B. Jensen, Mohini Jodhpurkar, Jonathan Joseph, Christian Juarez, Linda C. Kah, Oak Kanine, Jessica Kristensen, Tex Kubacki, Kristiana Lapo, Angela Magee, Michael Maimone, Greg L. Mehall, Laura Mehall, Jess Mollerup, Daniel Viudez-Moreiras, Kristen Paris, Kathryn E. Powell, Frank Preusker, Jon Proton, Corrine Rojas, Danny Sallurday, Kim Saxton, Eva Scheller, Christiana H. Seeger, Mason Starr, Nathan Stein, Nathalie Turenne, Jason Van Beek, Andrew G. Winhold, Rachel Yingling
Summary: Perseverance's Mastcam-Z instrument provides high-resolution stereo and multispectral images, revealing different types of rocks and environmental features in the Jezero crater on Mars, and providing valuable geological context and scientific data for Mars exploration missions.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
H. Madanian, N. Omidi, D. G. Sibeck, L. Andersson, R. Ramstad, S. Xu, J. R. Gruesbeck, S. J. Schwartz, R. A. Frahm, D. A. Brain, P. Kajdic, F. G. Eparvier, D. L. Mitchell, S. M. Curry
Summary: This study investigates the non-planarity of Mars' bow shock and its impact on transient structures near the upstream edge of moving foreshocks caused by slow rotations in the IMF. The structures exhibit a decrease in plasma density and IMF strength within their core, accompanied by a compressional shock layer, consistent with foreshock bubbles. The ion populations responsible for these structures include backstreaming ions and reflected ions with hybrid trajectories.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Robotics
Simone Andolfo, Flavio Petricca, Antonio Genova
Summary: Visual Odometry is a fundamental technique used to enhance the navigation capabilities of planetary exploration rovers. By processing the images acquired during motion, it provides estimates of the relative position and attitude between navigation steps. In this study, an independent analysis of high-resolution stereo images of the NASA Mars 2020 Perseverance rover was conducted to accurately determine its localization. The results show that the reconstructed path is consistent with the telemetered trajectory.
JOURNAL OF FIELD ROBOTICS
(2023)
Review
Astronomy & Astrophysics
J. F. Bell, J. N. Maki, G. L. Mehall, M. A. Ravine, M. A. Caplinger, Z. J. Bailey, S. Brylow, J. A. Schaffner, K. M. Kinch, M. B. Madsen, A. Winhold, A. G. Hayes, P. Corlies, C. Tate, M. Barrington, E. Cisneros, E. Jensen, K. Paris, K. Crawford, C. Rojas, L. Mehall, J. Joseph, J. B. Proton, N. Cluff, R. G. Deen, B. Betts, E. Cloutis, A. J. Coates, A. Colaprete, K. S. Edgett, B. L. Ehlmann, S. Fagents, J. P. Grotzinger, C. Hardgrove, K. E. Herkenhoff, B. Horgan, R. Jaumann, J. R. Johnson, M. Lemmon, G. Paar, M. Caballo-Perucha, S. Gupta, C. Traxler, F. Preusker, M. S. Rice, M. S. Robinson, N. Schmitz, R. Sullivan, M. J. Wolff
Summary: Mastcam-Z is a multispectral, stereoscopic imaging investigation tool on the Perseverance rover for the Mars 2020 mission. It consists of a pair of focusable, 4:1 zoomable cameras that provide detailed color imaging with high resolution. Mastcam-Z will be used for capturing morphology, topography, and geological context, as well as documenting sample extraction and caching locations, supporting sample selection, driving decisions, and other rover operations.
SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yansong Liu, Yingchun Qi, Dong Pan, Zhen Chen, Baofeng Yuan, Meng Zou
Summary: Due to the weathering and erosion climate on Mars, the loose sedimentary debris covering many craters terrains can cause slipping or sinking of Mars rovers, potentially affecting survey missions. Therefore, studying the climbing ability of Mars rovers is important for exploration missions. This study tests the climbing capability of the 'Zhurong' Mars rover using active-passive suspensions and measures soil parameters. The analysis of various parameters suggests that the peristaltic mode allows the rover to continue climbing after a direct climb failure, and the slip rate significantly affects power and current output.
JOURNAL OF TERRAMECHANICS
(2023)
Review
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Alexander G. Hayes, P. Corlies, C. Tate, M. Barrington, J. F. Bell, J. N. Maki, M. Caplinger, M. Ravine, K. M. Kinch, K. Herkenhoff, B. Horgan, J. Johnson, M. Lemmon, G. Paar, M. S. Rice, E. Jensen, T. M. Kubacki, E. Cloutis, R. Deen, B. L. Ehlmann, E. Lakdawalla, R. Sullivan, A. Winhold, A. Parkinson, Z. Bailey, J. van Beek, P. Caballo-Perucha, E. Cisneros, D. Dixon, C. Donaldson, O. B. Jensen, J. Kuik, K. Lapo, A. Magee, M. Merusi, J. Mollerup, N. Scudder, C. Seeger, E. Stanish, M. Starr, M. Thompson, N. Turenne, K. Winchell
Summary: The NASA Perseverance rover's Mastcam-Z system consists of a pair of zoomable, focusable, multi-spectral, and color CCD cameras with high radiometric and geometric accuracy. Through extensive image acquisition and testing, the radiometric calibration and image quality are good, meeting design requirements.
SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Review
Astronomy & Astrophysics
S. Maurice, R. C. Wiens, P. Bernardi, P. Cais, S. Robinson, T. Nelson, O. Gasnault, J-M Reess, M. Deleuze, F. Rull, J-A Manrique, S. Abbaki, R. B. Anderson, Y. Andre, S. M. Angel, G. Arana, T. Battault, P. Beck, K. Benzerara, S. Bernard, J-P Berthias, O. Beyssac, M. Bonafous, B. Bousquet, M. Boutillier, A. Cadu, K. Castro, F. Chapron, B. Chide, K. Clark, E. Clave, S. Clegg, E. Cloutis, C. Collin, E. C. Cordoba, A. Cousin, J-C Dameury, W. D'Anna, Y. Daydou, A. Debus, L. Deflores, E. Dehouck, D. Delapp, G. De Los Santos, C. Donny, A. Doressoundiram, G. Dromart, B. Dubois, A. Dufour, M. Dupieux, M. Egan, J. Ervin, C. Fabre, A. Fau, W. Fischer, O. Forni, T. Fouchet, J. Frydenvang, S. Gauffre, M. Gauthier, V Gharakanian, O. Gilard, I Gontijo, R. Gonzalez, D. Granena, J. Grotzinger, R. Hassen-Khodja, M. Heim, Y. Hello, G. Hervet, O. Humeau, X. Jacob, S. Jacquinod, J. R. Johnson, D. Kouach, G. Lacombe, N. Lanza, L. Lapauw, J. Laserna, J. Lasue, L. Le Deit, S. Le Mouelic, E. Le Comte, Q-M Lee, C. Legett, R. Leveille, E. Lewin, C. Leyrat, G. Lopez-Reyes, R. Lorenz, B. Lucero, J. M. Madariaga, S. Madsen, M. Madsen, N. Mangold, F. Manni, J-F Mariscal, J. Martinez-Frias, K. Mathieu, R. Mathon, K. P. McCabe, T. McConnochie, S. M. McLennan, J. Mekki, N. Melikechi, P-Y Meslin, Y. Micheau, Y. Michel, J. M. Michel, D. Mimoun, A. Misra, G. Montagnac, C. Montaron, F. Montmessin, J. Moros, V Mousset, Y. Morizet, N. Murdoch, R. T. Newell, H. Newsom, N. Nguyen Tuong, A. M. Ollila, G. Orttner, L. Oudda, L. Pares, J. Parisot, Y. Parot, R. Perez, D. Pheav, L. Picot, P. Pilleri, C. Pilorget, P. Pinet, G. Pont, F. Poulet, C. Quantin-Nataf, B. Quertier, D. Rambaud, W. Rapin, P. Romano, L. Roucayrol, C. Royer, M. Ruellan, B. F. Sandoval, V Sautter, M. J. Schoppers, S. Schroder, H-C Seran, S. K. Sharma, P. Sobron, M. Sodki, A. Sournac, V Sridhar, D. Standarovsky, S. Storms, N. Striebig, M. Tatat, M. Toplis, I Torre-Fdez, N. Toulemont, C. Velasco, M. Veneranda, D. Venhaus, C. Virmontois, M. Viso, P. Willis, K. W. Wong
Summary: During the NASA 2020 rover mission to Jezero crater, SuperCam is used to remotely analyze rocks and collect essential data for characterizing the area and selecting samples. Comprising of five techniques from multiple countries, the SuperCam instrument is crucial for achieving the mission goals on Mars.
SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
J. Polkko, M. Hieta, A. -M. Harri, L. Tamppari, G. Martinez, D. Viudez-Moreiras, H. Savijarvi, P. Conrad, M. P. Zorzano Mier, M. De La Torre Juarez, R. Hueso, A. Munguira, J. Leino, F. Gomez, I. Jaakonaho, E. Fischer, M. Genzer, V. Apestigue, I. Arruego, D. Banfield, A. Lepinette, M. Paton, J. A. Rodriguez-Manfredi, A. Sanchez Lavega, E. Sebastian, D. Toledo, A. Vicente-Retortillo
Summary: The Mars 2020 mission rover Perseverance, launched on 30 July 2020 by NASA, successfully landed on 18 February 2021 at Jezero Crater, Mars. The payload of Perseverance includes the MEDA HS sensor, which measures relative humidity on Mars. The observations from sol 80 to sol 410 show that the measured humidity is reliable during the late night hours and few tens of minutes after sunrise when it is greater than 2%. Data delivered include relative humidity, sensor temperature, uncertainty, and volume mixing ratio.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-PLANETS
(2023)
Article
Robotics
G. Hedrick, Y. Gu
Summary: This paper proposes a planning method for Mars Sample Return by integrating terrain information, successfully predicting slip ranges and drawing expected velocity map. The method also involves planning traverse based on slip and drive speed, updating map and replanning if necessary. Experiments showed close results to expected parameters of tested soils.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Maria Hieta, Maria Genzer, Jouni Polkko, Iina Jaakonaho, Shahin Tabandeh, Andreas Lorek, Stephen Garland, Jean-Pierre De Vera, Erik Fischer, German M. Martinez, Ari-Matti Harri, Leslie Tamppari, Harri Haukka, Matias Meskanen, Manuel de la Torre Juarez, Jose Antonio Rodriguez Manfredi
Summary: The Finnish Meteorological Institute has provided a relative humidity measurement sensor for NASA's Mars 2020 rover, which has been successfully calibrated and is delivering high quality atmospheric humidity data.
PLANETARY AND SPACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Chaitanya Giri, Andrew Steele, Marc Fries
Summary: The study found nanoscale graphene morphologies in Allende and QUE 94366, which may have originated from the same protosolar carbon reservoir and were likely synthesized in a high-temperature zone near the proto-Sun during the earliest eon of the solar system. However, in the case of Allende, synthesis of graphene may also be related to later aqueous alteration.
PLANETARY AND SPACE SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Rohit Bhartia, Luther W. Beegle, Lauren DeFlores, William Abbey, Joseph Razzell Hollis, Kyle Uckert, Brian Monacelli, Kenneth S. Edgett, Megan R. Kennedy, Margarite Sylvia, David Aldrich, Mark Anderson, Sanford A. Asher, Zachary Bailey, Kerry Boyd, Aaron S. Burton, Michael Caffrey, Michael J. Calaway, Robert Calvet, Bruce Cameron, Michael A. Caplinger, Brandi L. Carrier, Nataly Chen, Amy Chen, Matthew J. Clark, Samuel Clegg, Pamela G. Conrad, Moogega Cooper, Kristine N. Davis, Bethany Ehlmann, Linda Facto, Marc D. Fries, Dan H. Garrison, Denine Gasway, F. Tony Ghaemi, Trevor G. Graff, Kevin P. Hand, Cathleen Harris, Jeffrey D. Hein, Nicholas Heinz, Harrison Herzog, Eric Hochberg, Andrew Houck, William F. Hug, Elsa H. Jensen, Linda C. Kah, John Kennedy, Robert Krylo, Johnathan Lam, Mark Lindeman, Justin McGlown, John Michel, Ed Miller, Zachary Mills, Michelle E. Minitti, Fai Mok, James Moore, Kenneth H. Nealson, Anthony Nelson, Raymond Newell, Brian E. Nixon, Daniel A. Nordman, Danielle Nuding, Sonny Orellana, Michael Pauken, Glen Peterson, Randy Pollock, Heather Quinn, Claire Quinto, Michael A. Ravine, Ray D. Reid, Joe Riendeau, Amy J. Ross, Joshua Sackos, Jacob A. Schaffner, Mark Schwochert, Molly O. Shelton, Rufus Simon, Caroline L. Smith, Pablo Sobron, Kimberly Steadman, Andrew Steele, Dave Thiessen, Vinh D. Tran, Tony Tsai, Michael Tuite, Eric Tung, Rami Wehbe, Rachel Weinberg, Ryan H. Weiner, Roger C. Wiens, Kenneth Williford, Chris Wollonciej, Yen-Hung Wu, R. Aileen Yingst, Jason Zan
Summary: SHERLOC is a robotic arm-mounted instrument on NASA's Perseverance rover, equipped with two primary boresights for generating chemical maps and capturing color images. By utilizing fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy, along with a deep UV laser, SHERLOC is able to analyze organics, minerals, and chemicals important for potential biogenicity on Mars. With the ability to cover areas up to 7x7 mm and acquire data in under 10 minutes, SHERLOC provides a microscopic view of the organic geochemistry at the Perseverance field site, enabling unprecedented analysis of geological materials for scientific research and Mars sample return missions.
SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Biology
Benton C. Clark, Vera M. Kolb, Andrew Steele, Christopher H. House, Nina L. Lanza, Patrick J. Gasda, Scott J. VanBommel, Horton E. Newsom, Jesus Martinez-Frias
Summary: While early Mars is now known to be habitable, its potential for hosting conditions conducive to the independent origin of life (OoL) has been uncertain. Mars mimics various physical and chemical conditions hypothesized as settings for life on Earth, offering water, energy sources, and elements associated with life. The well-preserved ancient surface of Mars informs researchers about possible conditions during Earth's early history, and continued exploration may provide insights for OoL on exoplanets.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Claudia-Corina Giese, Inge Loes ten Kate, Martijn P. A. van den Ende, Mariette Wolthers, Jose C. Aponte, Eloi Camprubi, Jason P. Dworkin, Jamie E. Elsila, Suzanne Hangx, Helen E. King, Hannah L. Mclain, Oliver Plumper, Alexander G. G. M. Tielens
Summary: This study empirically and theoretically investigates whether polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are precursors to amino acids in carbonaceous chondrites. While the experiments did not show the formation of amino acids, the theoretical results suggest that PAHs could serve as precursors to amino acids at low temperatures.
ACS EARTH AND SPACE CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
M. Millan, S. Teinturier, C. A. Malespin, J. Y. Bonnet, A. Buch, J. P. Dworkin, J. L. Eigenbrode, C. Freissinet, D. P. Glavin, R. Navarro-Gonzalez, A. Srivastava, J. C. Stern, B. Sutter, C. Szopa, A. J. Williams, R. H. Williams, G. M. Wong, S. S. Johnson, P. R. Mahaffy
Summary: Wet chemistry experiments performed by the Curiosity rover on Mars detected an array of organic molecules including aromatic benzoic acid, nitrogen-bearing organics, and other unidentified compounds.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Eric T. Parker, Queenie H. S. Chan, Daniel P. Glavin, Jason P. Dworkin
Summary: This study investigated the amino acid abundances in acid-hydrolyzed hot water extracts of gold foils containing five Category 3 Hayabusa particles. The results revealed the presence of uncommon non-protein amino acids, suggesting a non-biological and likely non-terrestrial origin for these compounds.
METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yasuhiro Oba, Yoshinori Takano, Yoshihiro Furukawa, Toshiki Koga, Daniel P. Glavin, Jason P. Dworkin, Hiroshi Naraoka
Summary: All DNA/RNA nucleobases have been found in carbonaceous meteorites, and these nucleobases may have played a role in the emergence of genetic functions in early life on Earth. The lack of pyrimidine diversity in meteorites remains a mystery, but this study demonstrates that meteoritic nucleobases could serve as building blocks of DNA and RNA on the early Earth, potentially generated through photochemical reactions in the interstellar medium.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Alexander A. Pavlov, Hannah L. McLain, Daniel P. Glavin, Anais Roussel, Jason P. Dwork, Jamie E. Elsila, Katarina M. Yocum
Summary: Amino acids on the surface of Mars could degrade due to exposure to cosmic rays, especially in the presence of hydrated silicate minerals or perchlorates. The search for ancient amino acids and other organic biosignatures on Mars' surface faces significant challenges.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Elise B. Wilkes, Alex L. Sessions, Sarah S. Zeichner, Brooke Dallas, Brian Schubert, A. Hope Jahren, John M. Eiler
Summary: This study introduces an Orbitrap-based method for analyzing the position-specific carbon isotope variation in serine, with potential applications in probing plant metabolism. The method shows promise for extending to other amino acids, opening up new possibilities for research in this area.
RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alexandra A. Phillips, Margot E. White, Michael Seidel, Fenfang Wu, Frank F. Pavia, Preston C. Kemeny, Audrey C. Ma, Lihini I. Aluwihare, Thorsten Dittmar, Alex L. Sessions
Summary: Marine dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a major reservoir that connects global carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles, and it is also the largest water column reservoir of organic sulfur. By analyzing the isotope ratios of different sources of dissolved organic sulfur (DOS), researchers found that DOS in the ocean mainly comes from phytoplankton-derived biomolecules rather than from sulfidic sediments. This study suggests that organic sulfur plays an important role in marine biogeochemistry beyond sulfate.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Biology
Heather Graham, Jamie E. Elsila, Jason P. Dworkin, Scott A. Sandford, Jose C. Aponte
Summary: The stable isotope composition of organic compounds in carbonaceous chondrites can be used to determine their origin. This study focuses on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in meteorites and their delta D ratio, which may provide insights into their formation environment and parent-body processes.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Danna Qasim, Hannah L. McLain, Jose C. Aponte, Daniel P. Glavin, Jason P. Dworkin, Christopher K. Materese
Summary: Some carbonaceous chondrites contain prebiotic organics that may have played a role in the origin of life. This study investigates the formation and evolution of complex organic molecules under meteorite parent body conditions. The abundance of certain amines and amino acids remains consistent before and after aqueous alteration, suggesting the influence of parental cloud conditions. However, most of the studied amines and amino acids show varying abundances after aqueous processing, indicating the influence of meteorite parent body processing. The presence of interstellar organics in solar system objects is supported by the efficient transfer of volatile amines.
ACS EARTH AND SPACE CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Sarah S. Zeichner, Laura Chimiak, Jamie E. Elsila, Alex L. Sessions, Jason P. Dworkin, Jose C. Aponte, John M. Eiler
Summary: The Murchison meteorite is a carbonaceous chondrite with high concentrations of amino acids. Previous studies proposed different formation mechanisms for the extraterrestrial amino acids, including Strecker synthesis, Michael addition, and reductive amination. Carbon isotope analysis of specific molecular sites reveals that the amino acids in Murchison were formed from different synthesis mechanisms, highlighting the complexity of extraterrestrial organic synthesis networks.
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hiroshi Naraoka, Yoshinori Takano, Jason P. Dworkin, Yasuhiro Oba, Kenji Hamase, Aogu Furusho, Nanako O. Ogawa, Minako Hashiguchi, Kazuhiko Fukushima, Dan Aoki, Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin, Jose C. Aponte, Eric T. Parker, Daniel P. Glavin, Hannah L. McLain, Jamie E. Elsila, Heather V. Graham, John M. Eiler, Francois-Regis Orthous-Daunay, Cedric Wolters, Junko Isa, Veronique Vuitton, Roland Thissen, Saburo Sakai, Toshihiro Yoshimura, Toshiki Koga, Naohiko Ohkouchi, Yoshito Chikaraishi, Haruna Sugahara, Hajime Mita, Yoshihiro Furukawa, Norbert Hertkorn, Alexander Ruf, Hisayoshi Yurimoto, Tomoki Nakamura, Takaaki Noguchi, Ryuji Okazaki, Hikaru Yabuta, Kanako Sakamoto, Shogo Tachibana, Harold C. Connolly, Dante S. Lauretta, Masanao Abe, Toru Yada, Masahiro Nishimura, Kasumi Yogata, Aiko Nakato, Miwa Yoshitake, Ayako Suzuki, Akiko Miyazaki, Shizuho Furuya, Kentaro Hatakeda, Hiromichi Soejima, Yuya Hitomi, Kazuya Kumagai, Tomohiro Usui, Tasuku Hayashi, Daiki Yamamoto, Ryota Fukai, Kohei Kitazato, Seiji Sugita, Noriyuki Namiki, Masahiko Arakawa, Hitoshi Ikeda, Masateru Ishiguro, Naru Hirata, Koji Wada, Yoshiaki Ishihara, Rina Noguchi, Tomokatsu Morota, Naoya Sakatani, Koji Matsumoto, Hiroki Senshu, Rie Honda, Eri Tatsumi, Yasuhiro Yokota, Chikatoshi Honda, Tatsuhiro Michikami, Moe Matsuoka, Akira Miura, Hirotomo Noda, Tetsuya Yamada, Keisuke Yoshihara, Kosuke Kawahara, Masanobu Ozaki, Yu-ichi Iijima, Hajime Yano, Masahiko Hayakawa, Takahiro Iwata, Ryudo Tsukizaki, Hirotaka Sawada, Satoshi Hosoda, Kazunori Ogawa, Chisato Okamoto, Naoyuki Hirata, Kei Shirai, Yuri Shimaki, Manabu Yamada, Tatsuaki Okada, Yukio Yamamoto, Hiroshi Takeuchi, Atsushi Fujii, Yuto Takei, Kento Yoshikawa, Yuya Mimasu, Go Ono, Naoko Ogawa, Shota Kikuchi, Satoru Nakazawa, Fuyuto Terui, Satoshi Tanaka, Takanao Saiki, Makoto Yoshikawa, Sei-ichiro Watanabe, Yuichi Tsuda
Summary: The Hayabusa2 spacecraft successfully collected samples from the surface of the asteroid Ryugu and brought them back to Earth. Analyzing the organic molecules extracted from the samples, researchers found a variety of compounds formed by different reactions. These compounds, including amino acids and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, are likely of non-biological origin and could have been formed through aqueous reactions on Ryugu's parent body, similar to organics found in meteorites.
Article
Biology
Vincent S. Riggi, E. Bruce Watson, Andrew Steele, Karyn L. Rogers
Summary: This article investigates the influence of different minerals on the oligomerization of ribonucleotides under simulated planetary conditions. It finds that several minerals can enhance the synthesis and elongation of nucleic acids, suggesting a broader range of potential environments that could foster the origin of life.