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[59.01] Biosignatures and geochemical signatures in carbonaceous chondrites.

S. Airieau (ASSAI)

Sulfate and carbonate are of interest because of their association with evaporites on Mars and on Earth. A suite of carbonaceous chondrites was used for the measurement of oxygen isotopes of sulfate, and the growth of microbial contaminants was observed in the samples. The segregation between biosignatures and geochemical signatures was investigated using amino acid high precision liquid chromatography and microbiology techniques. Many archea and bacteria species are confirmed to grow in the extraterrestrial samples. Their origin and their metabolic impact on oxygen isotopes and amino acids require a systematic catalog of these species. This work was conducted with NASA funding at the University of California San Diego, the Carnegie Institution of Washington and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 37 #3
© 2004. The American Astronomical Soceity.