An Ongoing Study of Simulating Life on Mars through Microbes Isolated from an Ophiolite Deposit

This work aims to determine the properties of unknown microbial isolates found in rock cores estimated to be six million years old that have similar geological conditions to those predicted for Mars. The rock core was extracted from an ophiolite deposit in California where the oceanic crust is exposed above sea level, and is a site known to have rocks and microbes that originate in the ancient oceanic crust. To culture the organisms, core rock samples were crushed and resuspended in saline solution and plated. A range of media and environmental conditions were evaluated to optimize the growth conditions for these organisms. Ultimately, five novel microbes were isolated using enriched media and reduced oxygen, utilizing high carbon dioxide conditions. The bacteria were found to be Gram-negative bacilli that were predicted to be facultative anaerobes. Notably, these organisms appear to be capnophiles, which are organisms that thrive in a high carbon dioxide and low oxygen environment, which is similar to the environment found in the near-surface regolith of Mars. Characterization of these novel isolates is currently underway and includes partial genomic sequencing, metabolic analysis and evaluating optimal culturing conditions. The goal of further testing includes finding the growth curves and metabolic pathways for these isolates after determining ideal pH levels respective to each isolate. This investigation hopes to find novel enzymes with useful biotechnology applications and ideally, shed light on the growth conditions necessary for identifying possible life on Mars