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At Crystal Geyser, Utah, travertine rocks form in the presence of microbial communities. Small layered features called stromatolites can be seen growing, which likely form by the direct activity of microorganisms. These and other ‘biosignatures’, such as fossils of bacterial cells, can be seen preserved in the youngest upper layers of the travertine. Surprisingly, these signs of life are quickly erased due to crystal transformations and continued growth. These processes help explain why ancient carbonate rocks are often missing important signs of life, and helps us understand what kinds of biosignatures might be found in similar environments beyond Earth. Image courtesy of Jon Lima-Zaloumis/ASU

Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, People Of Astrobiology, Press Release

Research On How Rocks Preserve Signs Of Life Honors Late ASU Mentor Jack Farmer

by Keith CowingJune 28, 2024June 28, 2024

Building from his PhD work at Arizona State University, Jon Lima-Zaloumis is developing methods to look for signs of active life occurring in extreme environments, namely in the Earth’s atmosphere […]

Utah

Research On How Rocks Preserve Signs Of Life Honors Late ASU Mentor Jack Farmer

The Emergence Of Life In The Light Of Evolution

ReactionAtlas: Ab Origine Exploration Of Chemical Reaction Networks With Machine Learning

Mass Constraints For The K2-223 System Planets: An Ultra-short-period sub-Earth, A Short-period Super-Earth, And A Tentative Long-period Giant Planet

Double Gravity-Assist Rendezvous Trajectory to Halley’s Comet Using Deep-Space Low Thrust

Photometric Characterization Of Near-Earth Asteroids: Rotation, Taxonomy, And Candidate Evidence For Internal Cohesion