TY - JOUR
T1 - Microbial life in impact craters
AU - Cockell, Charles S.
AU - Osinski, Gordon
AU - Sapers, Haley
AU - Pontefract, Alexandra
AU - Parnell, John
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, Caister Academic Press. All rights reserved.
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Asteroid and comet impacts are known to have caused profound disruption to multicellular life, yet their influence on habitats for microorganisms, which comprise the majority of Earth's biomass, is less well understood. Of particular interest are geological changes in the target lithology at and near the point of impact that can persist for billions of years. Deep subsurface and surface-dwelling microorganisms are shown to gain advantages from impact-induced fracturing of rocks. Deleterious changes are associated with impact-induced closure of pore spaces in rocks. Superimposed on these long-term geological changes are post-impact alterations such as changes in the hydrological system in and around a crater. The close coupling between geological changes and the conditions for microorganisms yields a synthesis of the fields of microbiology and impact cratering. We use these data to discuss how craters can be used in the search for life beyond Earth.
AB - Asteroid and comet impacts are known to have caused profound disruption to multicellular life, yet their influence on habitats for microorganisms, which comprise the majority of Earth's biomass, is less well understood. Of particular interest are geological changes in the target lithology at and near the point of impact that can persist for billions of years. Deep subsurface and surface-dwelling microorganisms are shown to gain advantages from impact-induced fracturing of rocks. Deleterious changes are associated with impact-induced closure of pore spaces in rocks. Superimposed on these long-term geological changes are post-impact alterations such as changes in the hydrological system in and around a crater. The close coupling between geological changes and the conditions for microorganisms yields a synthesis of the fields of microbiology and impact cratering. We use these data to discuss how craters can be used in the search for life beyond Earth.
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U2 - 10.21775/cimb.038.075
DO - 10.21775/cimb.038.075
M3 - Article
C2 - 31967577
AN - SCOPUS:85078511378
SN - 1467-3037
VL - 38
SP - 75
EP - 102
JO - Current Issues in Molecular Biology
JF - Current Issues in Molecular Biology
ER -