Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Astrobiology: From Extremophiles in the Solar System to Extraterrestrial Civilizations

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Astronomy and Civilization in the New Enlightenment

Part of the book series: Analecta Husserliana ((ANHU,volume 107))

  • 863 Accesses

Abstract

Life on Earth is ubiquitous. Most of the organisms that we know thrive in normal environments that we consider to be ambient habitats. Extremophiles are among the microorganisms living on the edge of life under severe conditions. In recent years microorganisms have been discovered living in extreme environments, such as very high temperature (up to 115°C), and also at very low temperature (∼ minus 20°C). In addition, they can also withstand a variety of stresses, amongst them we mention both ends of the pH range; very strong acidity vs. high alkalinity; saturated salt solutions and high hydrostatic pressure. Astrobiology considers the possibility that extraterrestrial civilizations may be present in some exoplanets in the large suite that has been discovered so far. The instruments of research are radio telescopes. Astrobiology also raises the possibility of life elsewhere in the Solar System. (The most promising examples are Mars, Europa, and possibly Titan and Enceladus). We suggest that if microbial communities can thrive under extreme conditions on Earth, they could also emerge on extraterrestrial environments.

Proceedings of “Astronomy and Civilization”, Budapest (August 2009).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Adam D. 2000. Hardcore hibernation. Published online. Nature 19 October. doi:10.1038/news001019-9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allen, M.B. 1959. Studies with Cyanidium caldarium, an anomalously pigmented chlorophyte. Arch Mikrobiol Berlin, Heidelberg 32: 270–277.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arahal, D.R., M.C. Marquex, B.E. Volcani, K.H. Schleifer, and A. Ventosa. 1999. Bacillus marismortui sp. nov., a new moderately halophilic species from the Dead Sea. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology 49: 521–530.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atreya, S.K., P.R. Mahaffy, and A.S. Wong. 2007. Methane and related trace species on Mars: Origin, loss, implications for life, and habitability. Planetary and Space Science 55: 358–369.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bertolani, R., R. Guidetti, K.I. Jönsson, T. Altiero, D. Boschini, and L. Rebecchi. 2004. Experiences with dormancy in tardigrades. Journal of Limnology 63(Suppl 1): 16–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cano, R., and M. Borucki. 1995. Revival and identification of bacterial spores in 25 to 40 million year old Dominican amber. Science 268: 1060–1064.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chela-Flores, J. 1998. A search for extraterrestrial eukaryotes: Physical and biochemical aspects of exobiology. Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere 28: 583–596. http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~chelaf/searching_for_extraterr.html

  • Chela-Flores, J. 2000. Testing the Drake Equation in the solar system. In A new era in astronomy, eds. G.A. Lemarchand and K. Meech, vol. 213, 402–410, ASP Conference Series. Genentech: San Francisco. http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~chelaf/TestingDrakeEq.html

  • Chela-Flores, J., and N. Kumar. 2008. Returning to Europa: Can traces of surficial life be detected? International Journal of Astrobiology 7(3): 263–269 (copyright holder: Cambridge University Press). http://www.ictp.it/~chelaf/JCFKumar.pdf

  • Coustenis, A., and F.W Taylor. 2008. Titan exploring an earthlike world. 2nd ed. Singapore: WSP, 412 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doran, P.T., W. Stone, J. Priscu, C. McKay, A. Johnson, and B. Chen. 2007. Environmentally non-disturbing under-ice robotic Antarctic explorer (ENDURANCE). American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting, abstract #P52A-05.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ekers, R.D., D. Kent Cullers, J. Billingham, and L.K. Scheffer. 2002, SETI 2020: A roadmap for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Mountain View: SETI Press, 549 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fewer, D., T. Friedl and B. Büdel. 2002. Chroococcidiopsis and heterocyst differentiating cyanobacteria are each others closest living relatives. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 23: 82–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldstein, B., and M. Blaxter. 2002. Quick guide: Tardigrades. Current Biology 12: R475.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grasset, O., J.-P. Lebreton, M. Blanc, M. Dougherty, C. Erd, R. Greeley, B. 2009. Pappalardo and the joint science definition team, “The Jupiter Ganymede Orbiter as part of the ESA/NASA Europa jupiter system mission (EJSM),” EPSC Abstracts 4: EPSC2009-784, European Planetary Science Congress, Rome.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grom, J. 2009 Ancient ecosystem discovered beneath Antarctic glacier. Science Now. Daily News, 16 April.

    Google Scholar 

  • Horikawa, D.D. 2008. The Tradigrade Ramazzottium varieornatus as a model animal for Astrobiological studies. Biological Sciences in Space 22(3): 93–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horvath, J., F. Carsey, J. Cutts, J. Jones, E. Johnson, B., Landry, L. Lane, G. Lynch, J. Chela-Flores, T.-W. Jeng, and A. Bradley. 1997. Searching for ice and ocean biogenic activity on Europa and Earth. In Instruments, methods and missions for investigation of extraterrestrial microorganisms, ed. R.B. Hoover, 490–500. SPIE Proceedings, 3111, San Diego. http://www.ictp.it/~chelaf/searching_for_ice.html

  • Hoyle, B. 2001. Ancient bacteria may be oldest life form. American Society for Microbiology News 67. http://newsarchive.asm.org/jan01/topic4.asp.

  • Jönsson, K.I., E. Rabbow, R.O. Schill, M. Harms-Ringdahl, and P. Rettberg. 2008. Tardigrades survive exposure to space in low Earth orbit. Current Biology 18: R729–R731.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karl, D.M., D.F. Bird, K. Björkman, T. Houlihan, R. Shackelford, and L. Tupas. 1999. Microorganisms in the accreted ice of Lake Vostok, Antarctica. Science 286: 2144–2147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lefèvre, F., and F. Forget. 2009. Observed variations of methane on Mars unexplained by known atmospheric chemistry and physics. Nature 460: 720–723.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mikucki, J.A., and J.C. Priscu. 2007. Bacterial diversity associated with Blood Falls, a subglacial outflow from the Taylor Glacier, Antarctica. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 73: 4029–4039.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mikucki, J.A., A. Pearson, D.T. Johnston, A.V. Turchyn, J. Farquhar, D.P. Schrag, A.D. Anbar, J.C. Priscu, and P.A. Lee. 2009. A contemporary microbially maintained subglacial ferrous ‘ocean’. Science 324: 397–400.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nickle, D.C., G.H. Learn, M.W. Rain, J.I. Mullins, and J.E. Mittler. 2002. Curiously modern DNA for a ‘250 Million-Year-Old’ bacterium. Journal of Molecular Evolution 54: 134–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oard, M.J. 2001. Aren’t 250 million year old live bacteria a bit much? Creation Ministries International, Article 2415.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oren, A. 1988. The microbial ecology of the Dead Sea. In Advances in microbial ecology, ed. K.C. Marshall, vol. 10, 193–229. New York: Plenum Publishing Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Postberg, F., S. Kempf, J. Schmidt, N. Brilliantov, A. Beinsen, B. Abel, U. Buck, and R. Srama. 2009. Sodium salts in E-ring ice grains from an ocean below the surface of Enceladus. Nature 459: 1098–1101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seckbach, J. 2010. Overview of Cyanidian biology. In Red algae in genome age, eds. J. Seckbach and D. Chapman. Dordrecht: Springer, pp. 343–354.

    Google Scholar 

  • Siegert, M.J., J.C. Ellis-Evans, M. Tranter, C. Mayer, J. Petit, A. Salamantin, and J.C. Priscu. 2001. Physical, chemical and biological processes in Lake Vostok and other Antarctic subglacial lakes. Nature (London) 414: 603–609.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singer, E. 2003. Vital clues from Europa. New Scientist Magazine 2414: 22–23. http://www.ictp.it/~chelaf/VitalClues.pdf

  • Sleep, N.H. 1994. Martian plate tectonics. Journal of Geophysical Research 99: 5639–5655.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, A., I.A. Crawford, R.A. Gowen, A.J. Ball, S.J. Barber, P. Church, A.J. Coates, Y. Gao, A.D. Griffiths, A. Hagermann, K.H. Joy, A. Phipps, W.T. Pike, R. Scott, S. Sheridan, M. Sweeting, D. Talboys, V. Tong, N. Wells, J. Biele, J. Chela-Flores, B. Dabrowski, J. Flannagan, M. Grande, J. Grygorczuk, G. Kargl, O.B. Khavroshkin, G. Klingelhoefer, M. Knapmeyer, W. Marczewski, S. McKenna-Lawlor, L. Richter, D.A. Rothery, K. Seweryn, S. Ulamec, R. Wawrzaszek, M. Wieczorek, I.P. Wright, and M. Sims. 2008. LunarEX – A proposal to CosmicVision. Experimental Astronomy. 10.1007/s10686-008-9109-6. http://www.ictp.it/~chelaf/Penetrator.pdf

  • Vreeland, R.H., W.D. Rosenzweig, and D.W. Powers. 2000. Isolation of a 250 million-year-old halotolerant bacterium from a primary salt crystal. Nature 470: 1075–1077.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

The senior author (JS) thanks the Israeli and Hungarian Academies of Sciences and Humanities for their kindly support towards and during the conference of Astronomy and Civilization in Budapest (Aug. 2009).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    Joseph Seckbach

  2. The Abdus Salam ICTP, Trieste, Italia

    Julian Chela-Flores

  3. Instituto de Estudios Avanzados, IDEA, Caracas, Venezuela

    Julian Chela-Flores

Authors
  1. Joseph Seckbach
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Julian Chela-Flores
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joseph Seckbach .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ivy Pointe Way 1, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA

    Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka

  2. Konkoly Observatory of the Hung. Ac. of, Almaskert 10, Zebegeny, 2627, Hungary

    Attila Grandpierre

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Seckbach, J., Chela-Flores, J. (2011). Astrobiology: From Extremophiles in the Solar System to Extraterrestrial Civilizations. In: Tymieniecka, AT., Grandpierre, A. (eds) Astronomy and Civilization in the New Enlightenment. Analecta Husserliana, vol 107. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9748-4_24

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation