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EP: Extraterrestrische Physik

EP 19: Astrobiologie

EP 19.3: Fachvortrag

Thursday, March 16, 2006, 14:45–15:00, B

Methanogene Archaea aus Sibirischem Permafrost als Modellsysteme für das Leben auf dem Mars — •Daria Morozova and Dirk Wagner — Alfred Wegener Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung Telegrafenberg A43 14473 Potsdam

Current ESA mission Mars Express determined water on Mars and CH4 in the Martian atmosphere, which could be originated only from active volcanism or from biological sources. This finding implicates that microbial life could still exist on Mars. One possibility for survival of Martian life might be subsurface lithoautotrophic ecosystems, which are exist in permafrost regions on Earth. Within the scope of DFG Priority Program *Mars and the Terrestrial Planets* we study the resistance of methanogenic archaea to different extreme life conditions of terrestrial or extraterrestrial permafrost. The methanogenic archaea in pure cultures as well as in their natural environment of Siberian permafrost represent high survival potential under extreme conditions. Significant CH4 formation appeared by incubation with saturated salt solution (0.02 nmol CH4 h-1 g-1), radiation dose up to 5000 Jm-2 (0.8 nmol CH4 h 1 g 1), desiccation (5.24 nmol CH4 h-1 ml-1), extremely low temperatures of -80^∘C (5.57 nmol CH4 h-1 ml-1) and Mars simulation. The capability of these organisms to grow under lithoautotrophic anaerobic conditions, long-term survival under harsh natural environments of permafrost and high resistance to the different extreme conditions as well as to the simulated Martian environments make methanogens to the most suitable keystone organism for the investigation of possible Martian life.