Research Training Program

Sylvia Moses
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California

Ed Vicenzi, Ph.D.
Supervising Scientist
Department of Mineral Sciences

"Working with the top scientists in my field, I have been immersed in the world of research science and have been able to use facilities I only could have dreamed of before. This experience has gone above and beyond all of my expectations."

Ancient Earth Fossils Yield Clues to Detecting Extraterrestrial Life

The search for extraterrestrial life and the origins of life on Earth are intimately connected. The most well-established and bonafide first life forms on Earth are very small fossils of bacterial organisms found in the Gunflint chert rock formation in Canada. These primitive organisms lived nearly two billion years ago in the shallow waters of an ancient ocean. Because carbon molecules are considered the building blocks of life, the small amount of carbon still left in these primitive organisms is important to study. Using various forms of advanced microscopy and analysis tools including scanning electron microscopy, cathodoluminescence, ion-milling, and Raman laser spectroscopy, the types and arrangement of carbon molecules in these ancient organisms can be identified. Understanding the character of the carbon in the microfossils produces a carbon "signature" of this type of ancient life. Scientists can then look for this carbon signature in other rocks including meteorites and other extraterrestrial samples. If the same or a similar signature is found, it might indicate a similar life form as these bacteria once existed. This is especially important in extraterrestrial samples where clear physical forms of microfossils might not be visible. By understanding the carbon chemistry of ancient life, the detection of extraterrestrial life in meteorites not only becomes easier, but more of a reality.

This research was supported by a grant from the Bill and Jean Lane Endowment.

Letter of gratitude