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The research is described in a paper published April 30 in the journal Astrobiology.
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That's why Fouke and his colleagues think the travertine could be such a valuable clue for scientists looking for signs of life on Mars because the rock built itself around bacteria, it retains information about that bacteria.Īnd if you're wondering how the researchers collected the bacterial samples they studied in this project: They used sterilized pasta forks, naturally. Those clues included morphological features, such as the string-like structure that remains after the bacteria die and the elliptical holes left behind by gases the bacteria release, as well as chemical features, like fatty acid molecules that remain locked in the rock. The researchers found clear fingerprints in the rock that pointed to the bacteria that shaped the material's formation. Fouke)īut the research wasn't just about the bacteria themselves the scientists also wanted to understand the rock encasing the life-forms and how these organic and inorganic materials interacted within the hot spring's waters. Travertine rock takes on a stringy appearance, resembling fettuccine pasta, on account of the bacteria that shape it. They also analyzed the proteins these bacteria were producing and how the organisms produce energy to feed themselves. The researchers analyzed the DNA sequences of the samples, so they could identify the precise species they were looking at. The team ran a whole host of tests on both the bacteria and the rock. "These sulfuri cables look amazingly like fettuccine pasta, while further downstream, they look more like capellini pasta." "They form tightly wound cables that wave like a flag that is fixed on one end," Fouke said. Each strand picks up a layer of rock about 0.2 inches (5 millimeters) thick every day.įouke and his colleagues wanted to better understand these bacteria and the rock that builds up around them, so the researchers went fishing for mats of stringy bacteria. Those strings then stick together in structures scientists call filamentous mats, which help the organisms stick together with their cohort in the flowing hot water.īut in the environment of the hot springs, these bacterial mats are "entombed" by rock, coated with crystals of a compound called calcium carbonate in the form of travertine. These bacteria live in strings that can reach up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) long. Specifically, the scientists looked at a group of bacteria called Sulfurihydrogenibium, nicknamed sulfuri.