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Could organic matter have been preserved on Mars for 3.5 billion years?About 3.5 Gyr ago, when it is thought that Mars and earth had similar climates, biological evolution on earth had made considerable progress, such that life was abundant. It is therefore surmised that prior to this time period, the advent of chemical evolution and subsequent origin of life occurred on earth and may have occurred on Mars. Analysis for organic compounds in the soil buried beneath the Martian surface may yield useful information regarding the occurrence of chemical evolution and possibly biological evolution. Calculations based on the stability of amino acids lead to the conclusion that remnants of these compounds, if they existed on Mars 3.5 Gyr ago, might have been preserved buried beneath the surface oxidizing layer. For example, if phenylalanine, an amino acid of average stability, existed on Mars 3.5 Gyr ago, then 1.6 percent would remain buried today. Martian soil may exist from remnants of meteoritic and cometary bombardment, assuming that 1 percent of the organics survived impact.
Document ID
19900041689
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Kanavarioti, Anastassia
(California, University Santa Cruz, United States)
Mancinelli, Rocco L.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 14, 2013
Publication Date
March 1, 1990
Publication Information
Publication: Icarus
Volume: 84
ISSN: 0019-1035
Subject Category
Space Biology
Accession Number
90A28744
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NCA2-289
CONTRACT_GRANT: NCC2-479
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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