The extremely salty, very cold and almost oxygen-free environment beneath the permanent frost of Lost Hammer Spring in Canada’s high Arctic is what most resembles some areas on Mars. So if you want to learn more about the kinds of life forms that might once have been — or may still be — on Mars, this is a good place to look. After much research under extremely difficult conditions, McGill University researchers have found germs that have never been detected before. In addition, using modern genomic techniques, they have acquired knowledge about their metabolisms.
In a recent article at The ISME magazine, scientists prove for the first time that microbial communities in Canada ‘s High Arctic, in conditions similar to those on Mars, can survive by eating and breathing simple inorganic compounds of the species detected on Mars (such as methane, sulfide, sulfate, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide). This discovery is so fascinating that samples of Lost Hammer surface sediments were selected by the European Space Agency to test the life-sustaining capabilities of the instruments they plan to use in the next ExoMars mission.
Developing a plan for life on Mars
Lost Hammer Spring, in Nunavut in Canada’s high Arctic, is one of the coldest and saltiest land springs ever discovered. Water that travels to the surface through 600 meters of permanent frost is extremely salty (~ 24% salinity), permanently at sub-zero temperatures (~ -5 ° C) and contains almost no oxygen (water habitat even at temperatures These conditions are similar to those found in some areas of Mars, where extensive salt deposits and possible cold salt sources have been observed, very few studies to find germs alive and active
To get an idea of what kind of life forms could exist on Mars, a McGill University research team led by Lyle Whyte of the Department of Natural Resources used state-of-the-art genomic tools and monocyte microbiology methods to identify and to characterize a novel, and most importantly, an active microbial community in this unique spring. Finding the germs and then sequencing their DNA and mRNA was no easy task.
You need an unusual way of life to survive in difficult conditions
“It took several years of sediment work before we could successfully detect active microbial communities,” explains Elisse Magnuson, Ph.D. student in Whyte’s lab and the first writer on paper. “The salinity of the environment interferes with both the extraction and sequencing of the germs, so when we were able to find evidence of active microbial communities, it was a very satisfying experience.”
The team isolated and analyzed the DNA sequence from the spring community, allowing them to reconstruct genomes from about 110 microorganisms, most of which they had never seen before. These genomes allowed the team to determine how such creatures survive and thrive in this unique extreme environment, which served as blueprints for possible life forms in similar environments. By sequencing the mRNA, the team was able to identify active genes in the genomes and, in effect, identify some very unusual microbes that are actively metabolizing in the spring environment.
It does not need organic material to support life
“The germs we found and described in Lost Hammer Spring are amazing because, unlike other microorganisms, they do not depend on organic matter or oxygen to survive,” adds Whyte. “On the contrary, they survive by eating and breathing simple minerals such as methane, sulfides, sulfates, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, all of which are found on Mars.” “They can also attach carbon dioxide and nitrogen gases from the atmosphere, all of which make them highly adapted to both survival and prosperity in very extreme environments on Earth and beyond.”
The next steps in the research will be the cultivation and further characterization of the most abundant and active members of this strange microbial ecosystem, to better understand why and how they thrive in the very cold, salty, mud of Lost Hammer Spring. The researchers hope that this, in turn, will help interpret the fascinating but enigmatic sulfur and carbon isotopes recently obtained from NASA’s Curiosity Rover at Gale Crater on Mars.
Astrophysicists are investigating the possibility of life beneath the surface of Mars More info: Elisse Magnuson et al The ISME magazine (2022). DOI: 10.1038 / s41396-022-01233-8 Provided by McGill University
Reference: A plan for life forms on Mars? (June 20, 2022) Retrieved June 21, 2022 from
This document is subject to copyright. Except for any fair transaction for the purposes of private study or research, no part of this site may be reproduced without our written permission. Content is provided for informational purposes only.
