Category: Uncategorized

Life in ice cold clays: On Earth and Mars

Summary

The project will study the diversity, functional capabilities, and preservation potential of microorganisms in Icelandic clays. 

Project background

Although there is a growing quantity of knowledge about microbial communities that inhabit volcanic rocks, very little is known about the communities that inhabit weathering products of volcanic rocks, such as phyllosilicates (clays). In this project, we will investigate the microbial communities that inhabit clays in cold Icelandic basalts. We will study the diversity and functional capabilities of these organisms and their preservation potential in clays. These insights will have direct applications to understanding the habitability of newly emerging volcanic environments on Earth and the biogeochemical processes that occur in weathered basaltic materials. The work will have application to volcanic terrains on Mars, including the preservation potential of life in Martian clays which are widely reported across the surface of that planet. The project will involve the study of Icelandic materials using instruments on board the ESA Rosalind Franklin rover to provide data for the study of the habitability and potential for life in Martian phyllosilicates.

Research questions

1. What is the diversity and functional capabilities of microbial communities in basalt-derived phyllosilicates?
2. What is the preservation potential of microorganisms in phyllosilicates?
3. What are the biogeochemical activities in microorganisms in weathered cold basaltic terrains?
4. What are the implications of these findings for the colonisation and development of life in early volcanic terrains?
5. What are the implications of these findings for the habitability and preservability of life in Martian basaltic terrains and can we detect them using spacecraft instrumentation?

Requirements

This project would suit a student with a bio- or geoscience background and with some expertise and experience of work in a microbiology laboratory. All other training will be provided.

Further Info & Apply

The application deadline is 12:00 on Monday, January 6, 2025 GMT

https://e4-dtp.ed.ac.uk/e5-dtp/supervisor-led-projects/project?item=1693

Our recent article, published in the ACS Accounts of Chemical Research, overviews mechanisms through which layered minerals could have facilitated the formation of the first molecules of life and molecules looking like the first molecules of life. We discuss how one could tell those apart based on their composition, local environment and the encapsulating layered mineral.

Read the full article: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.accounts.4c00173

Read the news article from the School of Chemistry: https://chem.ed.ac.uk/chemistry-minerals-sheds-light-origins-life

As a small community of scientist from the Universities of Edinburgh and Durham, we started www.scientist-next-door.org project.

Our aim is to share our passion for science with children that are now bound to be homeschooled through the COVID-19 lockdown.

We believe this time can become a life-changing opportunity and help bring up a new generation of fantastic scientists!

During the lockdown, we will hold group video calls with families and discuss topics of interest, share ideas and resources.

We have called this project Scientist Next Door as we think after the lockdown is over, it would be great to meet in person your neighbouring scientists!

You can learn more about scientists participating to this project here. And if you are a scientist and would like to join us, contact Valentina.

And for now, stay home, stay safe, look after yourselves and loved ones and join the forum and the upcoming video calls.

 

 

Most fascinating talks at the Erskine Williamson Day at the Centre for Science at Extreme Conditions! It was great to discuss how my computational chemistry toolkit can be used for Astrochemistry and Astrobiology at Extremes, and obviously, look at the Origins of Life.

A very brief visit to Royal Holloway today, invited by Lyell Geosciences Society to talk about my work on Molecular modelling of minerals and materials: from Origins of life to modern challenges.

Our work on prebiotic peptide formation under early Earth conditions is featured in Nature Communications’ “Early Earth Collection”.

Editorial by Julia Eckhoff:

Today I was invited to present my work at The Centre for Resources and Earth Energy Systems, CeREES, as part of their seminar series. I discussed the versatility molecular modelling offers: whether the emergence of protobiomolecules, delamination of layered materials or enhanced oil recovery, all these processes are driven by the molecular interactions at the interface.

CeREES is the only research centre in the UK that works across all geoenergy and resource themes, carrying out high-level multidisciplinary research in Petroleum, Unconventional Hydrocarbons, Geothermal, Clean Coal, Resources from Waste, Carbon Capture and Storage, Water and Mineral Resources.

This week I have been invited to Subatech, IMT Atlantique by Prof Andrey Kalinichev.

It was a great opportunity to meet the group, discuss science and work together on some challenging clay systems!

Really enjoyed this trip!

I am humbled to receive this year’s Institute of Physics BRSG Founder’s Prize for the presentation of my methodology, coupling MD and ssNMR, to rationalise dynamics in solids.

The prize is in memory of the late Professor E R Andrew, founder of British Radiofrequency Spectroscopy Group. Prof Andrew was a pioneer of magic angle spinning and other methods in magnetic resonance.