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Life on Earth can grow on extraterrestrial organic carbon.
- Source :
-
Scientific reports [Sci Rep] 2024 Feb 14; Vol. 14 (1), pp. 3691. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Feb 14. - Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- The universe is a vast store of organic abiotic carbon that could potentially drive heterotrophy on habitable planets. Meteorites are one of the transporters of this carbon to planetary surfaces. Meteoritic material was accumulating on early Earth when life emerged and proliferated. Yet it is not known if this organic carbon from space was accessible to life. In this research, an anaerobic microbial community was grown with the CM2 carbonaceous chondrite Aguas Zarcas as the sole carbon, energy and nutrient source. Using a reversed <superscript>13</superscript> C-stable isotope labelling experiment in combination with optical photothermal infrared (O-PTIR) spectroscopy of single cells, this paper demonstrates the direct transfer of carbon from meteorite into microbial biomass. This implies that meteoritic organics could have been used as a carbon source on early Earth and other habitable planets, and supports the potential for a heterotrophic metabolism in early living systems.<br /> (© 2024. The Author(s).)
- Subjects :
- Earth, Planet
Planets
Extraterrestrial Environment
Carbon chemistry
Meteoroids
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 2045-2322
- Volume :
- 14
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Scientific reports
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 38355968
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-54195-6