Microbial Morphology and Motility as Biosignatures for Outer Planet Missions.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Nadeau J
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5069736 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Microbial Morphology and Motility as Biosignatures for Outer Planet Missions.
Nadeau Jay J Lindensmith Chris C Deming Jody W JW Fernandez Vicente I VI Stocker Roman R
Astrobiology 20160823 10
Meaningful motion is an unambiguous biosignature, but because life in the Solar System is most likely to be microbial, the question is whether such motion may be detected effectively on the micrometer scale. Recent results on microbial motility in various Earth environments have provided insight into the physics and biology that determine whether and how microorganisms as small as bacteria and archaea swim, under which conditions, and at which speeds. These discoveries have not yet been reviewed ...[more]
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