Interdisciplinary astrobiological research of planetary habitability using laboratory simulations

ABREVAYA, X.C.

Congreso; ALAM 2018; 2018

The amazing discovery of microorganisms inhabiting extreme environments on Earth has opened the possibility to thinkin ?life as we know it? as potential inhabitants of other planetary bodies. In line with these developments, thousands ofextrasolar planets with masses and radii-consistent with rocky planets were found in the last years and some of theseplanets are or are near the habitable zone. Habitability studies require empirical measurements of critical factors asradiation, due to it is known that both terrestrial biospheres as well as biospheres of extrasolar planets are subjectedto stellar irradiation and it can be a direct or indirect constraint for the evolution of life and its environment. Wecarry out different interdisciplinary projects in order to study these aspects, which include astrophysical, geological andmicrobiological approaches. Astrophysical studies related to stellar emissions and the potential planetary conditionsthat they impose are in combination with microbiological experiments in laboratory simulations of extraterrestrialenvironments to determine the chances of life to exist or to arise and develop in a planetary body. This includes studiesrelated to the planetary habitability in the early Solar System or in exoplanets. Geological studies are also included as partof these experiments where hypotheses of the origin of life as the lithopanspermia are tested and shielding to radiationamong other conditions is of relevance. From the microbiological point of view, hypersaline environments are of ourinterest as halophilic archaea have particularly radiotolerant features and have shown resistance to other conditions asdesiccation and vacuum. Part of our research has also been related to the development of bioelectrochemical methodsto detect metabolic biosignatures. During my talk, I will review some of our interdisciplinary and international researchprojects related to these topics, as part of the studies in the Astrobiology field that are being carried out in Argentinawith collaborators in Latin-America, Austria, and the United Kingdom.