MARSBUGS:  
The Electronic Astrobiology Newsletter
Volume 5, Number 22, 25 September 1998.

Editors:

Dr. David Thomas, Department of Biological Sciences, University of 
Idaho, Moscow, ID, 83844-3051, USA.  Marsbugs@aol.com or 
davidt@uidaho.edu.

Dr. Julian Hiscox, Division of Molecular Biology, IAH Compton 
Laboratory, Berkshire, RG20 7NN, UK.  Julian.Hiscox@bbsrc.ac.uk

Marsbugs is published on a weekly to quarterly basis as warranted 
by the number of articles and announcements.  Copyright of this 
compilation exists with the editors, except for specific articles, 
in which instance copyright exists with the author/authors.  While 
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editors.

E-mail subscriptions are free, and may be obtained by contacting 
either of the editors.  Article contributions are welcome, and 
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advised to make appropriate inquiries before joining societies, 
ordering goods etc.  Back issues and Word97 files suitable for 
printing may be obtained via anonymous FTP at 
ftp.uidaho.edu/pub/mmbb/marsbugs or at the official Marsbugs web 
page at http://members.aol.com/marsbugs/marsbugs.html.

The purpose of this newsletter is to provide a channel of 
information for scientists, educators and other persons interested 
in exobiology and related fields.  This newsletter is not intended 
to replace peer-reviewed journals, but to supplement them.  We, 
the editors, envision Marsbugs as a medium in which people can 
informally present ideas for investigation, questions about 
exobiology, and announcements of upcoming events.

Astrobiology is still a relatively young field, and new ideas may 
come out of the most unexpected places.  Subjects may include, but 
are not limited to:  exobiology and astrobiology (life on other 
planets), the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), 
ecopoeisis and terraformation, Earth from space, planetary 
biology, primordial evolution, space physiology, biological life 
support systems, and human habitation of space and other planets.
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CONTENTS

1)	PENN STATE RESEARCHERS TO EXPLORE ORIGINS OF LIFE
PSU release

2)	NEW RESEARCH PLACES MARS BULK COMPOSITION IN QUESTION--
RETHINKING THE C1 CARBONACEOUS CHONDRITE STANDARD
Carnegie Institution release

3)	AS SPACE MISSIONS BECOME LONGER, EFFECTS ON BODY AND MIND 
NEED STUDY
National Academy of Sciences release

4)	HEALTH RESEARCH IN SPACE FOR THE BENEFIT OF CANADIANS
CSA release

5)	A PROFESSIONAL WEBSITE DEDICATED TO EXTRASOLAR PLANETS 
AND EXOBIOLOGY
By Jean Schneider, Paris Observatory

6)	ANOTHER NEW ASTROBIOLOGY WEB SITE
By David J. Thomas
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PENN STATE RESEARCHERS TO EXPLORE ORIGINS OF LIFE
PSU release

21 September 1998

This summer, a Penn State researcher, three of his graduate 
students, a colleague from Scotland and five from Japan met in 
Africa to collect 2.7 billion-year-old rocks as part of their 
research into the origins of life on Earth and in the Universe.  
The researchers are investigating the evolution of atmospheric 
oxygen and of organisms in oceans and on land.  Recently, they 
brought back 2.7 billion-year-old rocks from South Africa and 800 
to 500 million-year-old rocks from Namibia to the United States 
for chemical analyses.  The scientists are part of the Penn State 
Astrobiology Research Center, a member institution of the NASA 
Astrobiology Institute.  Penn State was one of 11 academic and 
research institutes selected by NASA as initial members of the 
Institute.

"We went to Africa because that is where very old rocks can be 
collected from the surface," says Dr. Hiroshi Ohmoto, professor of 
geochemistry in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and 
director of the PSARC.

The origins of oxygen and evolution of marine and terrestrial 
organisms are only some of the areas covered by a five-year, $4.5 
million grant from NASA.  One project at PSARC will try to 
characterize the environment before there was life on Earth and 
use a theoretical and experimental approach to understanding the 
origins of life.  Another will work on deciphering the time scale 
for the early evolution of life using a molecular evolutionary 
approach.  Still another project will try to determine the role of 
metals in the origin and evolution of life.

Researchers at the PSARC are not just interested in the origins of 
life, but they also want to know what made some life forms 
disappear.  One group will look at the diversification and 
extinction of early life forms including six Cambrian and 
Ordovician extinction events and the organisms existing 850 to 520 
million years ago.

The question of the origin of oxygen in the atmosphere takes on 
added interest because advocates of two mutually exclusive 
theories are both on the project.  Ohmoto of Penn State believes 
that oxygen in the atmosphere has been at steady levels through 
time, while James F. Kasting, Penn State professor of geosciences 
and meteorology, believes that oxygen levels in the early 
atmosphere were very low, less than 1 millionth of the present 
atmospheric level, and increased rapidly to nearly present levels 
2.2 billion years ago.

"It will take many different lines of evidence to prove this one 
way or the other," says Ohmoto.

This is where the African rocks come in.  Chemical studies of 
these rocks are one part of determining if oxygen levels were 
continuously high or suddenly increased around 2.2 billion years 
ago.

The PSARC is an interdisciplinary center with Penn State 
representatives from the Departments of Geosciences, Meteorology, 
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biology and Chemistry.  
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the State 
University of New York, Stony Brook are also members of the 
center.  Associate members come from across the U.S. and around 
the world.  The Penn State Astrobiology Research Center will 
celebrate its formation on September 24 from 2 to 4 p.m.  in the 
Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum on the ground floor of the 
Steidle Building.
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NEW RESEARCH PLACES MARS BULK COMPOSITION IN QUESTION--RETHINKING 
THE C1 CARBONACEOUS CHONDRITE STANDARD
Carnegie Institution release

17 September 1998

New analysis of data from the Mars Pathfinder Mission has revived 
a nagging question that was first posed nearly 50 years ago:  why 
do the inner planets exhibit different mean densities when 
presumably they formed from the same material?  The new analysis, 
performed at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, suggests that 
one current theory explaining density variations is wrong, and 
that future modelers of inner solar system accretion must account 
for a set of inner planets with differing elemental compositions.

Connie Bertka and Yingwei Fei of Carnegie's Geophysical Laboratory 
and Center for High Pressure Research report in this week's 
Science magazine that the bulk elemental composition of Mars does 
not match the composition of a type of primitive meteorite called 
a C1 carbonaceous chondrite.  The abundance ratios of non-volatile 
elements in C1 chondrites, especially the iron/silica (Fe/Si) 
ratio, has long been believed to be a standard for the terrestrial 
planets.  C1 chondrites evidence refractory element abundance 
ratios similar not only to those of the sun's atmosphere, but to 
lunar and terrestrial samples as well.  Because of this, 
scientists for over forty years have assumed that C1 chondrites 
represent the original parent material from which the inner solar 
system accreted, and that the terrestrial planets (with the 
exception of Mercury) evidence the same basic non-volatile element 
composition.  The differences in mean densities were thought to 
arise from differences in the amount of reduction that the 
originally oxidized C1 material experienced.  (Some elements in 
their reduced form favor the formation of denser mineral phases 
than in their oxidized form.  For example, metallic iron, Fe, is 
much denser than a Fe+2- or Fe+3-bearing silicate mineral phase.)

Previous studies had suggested that the C1 model might not work 
for Mars, but those studies were based on questionable 
assumptions.  Bertka and Fei entered the fray last year, after the 
Mars Pathfinder mission brought home a definitive value for Mars's 
moment of inertia, designated C.  C describes the mass 
distribution within a planet's interior; essentially it tells how 
the elements may be partitioned into a silicate mantle and a 
denser metallic core.  C is one of the factors necessary to 
determine a planet's bulk composition.  Before the Mars data were 
derived from Pathfinder results, C was known only for the Earth 
and Moon.  That value for Earth, combined with knowledge of the 
Earth's mean density and an understanding of high-pressure mineral 
phase transitions in its interior, can indeed lead to a calculated 
non-volatile element bulk composition equivalent to that of a C1 
chondrite.

Bertka and Fei did their best to come up with similar results for 
Mars.  However, they could not make Mars fit a C1 composition and 
still conform to known geophysical and geochemical constraints 
(including the new value for C and a bulk composition derived from 
a set of martian meteorites).  The problem arises in the martian 
core.  In order to conform to C1 and other constraints, the core 
cannot be made only of iron, sulfur, and nickel, as many previous 
models had assumed.  That combination is much too dense.  
Therefore, Bertka and Fei mixed in the lighter elements carbon and 
hydrogen.  They calculated core densities resulting from a variety 
of element combinations as functions of pressure and temperature 
all with the final elemental end product of C1.  However, the core 
remained too dense.  The C1 model had failed.  The elemental 
composition of Mars was clearly different from that of C1--and of 
Earth.

If the C1 model doesn't work with Mars, says Bertka, then it can't 
be assumed as a standard for the other terrestrial planets, and 
the variations in mean density of the inner planets must be 
explained some other way not by the oxidation and reduction of a 
common bulk elemental composition.  "In our heart of hearts, we 
suspected that the C1 model was an oversimplification," Bertka 
says.  "But it was the best we had."

The Bertka-Fei results suggest that a variation in bulk Fe/Si 
ratios among the terrestrial planets is possible.  At first 
appearances, this would mean that Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars 
all accreted from different materials that they had their own 
local "feeding zones." However, Carnegie's George Wetherill, who 
has developed a widely accepted accretion model based on the 
assumption that the planets accreted from material contributed 
from a common area, has suggested a scenario that would explain 
the discrepancy, at least for Venus, Earth, and Mars.  (The high 
density of Mercury is owed to something else.) He sees a 
correlation between the final distance of a planet from the sun 
and the location of the average area, or "provenance," from which 
the material that accreted to form the planet originated.  Thus, 
if the original planetesimal swarm orbiting the sun was not 
entirely homogeneous, that is, if it evidenced fluctuations in its 
elemental composition, then it might be possible that the 
resulting planets would reflect those fluctuations and evidence 
the differences in bulk composition and density we see today.

The work was partially supported by a grant from NASA.  The 
Geophysical Laboratory is one of five science research departments 
of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, a nonprofit 
organization devoted to advanced research and education in the 
physical and biological sciences.  It's new director, Wesley T. 
Huntress, Jr., assumes his responsibilities at the end of the 
month.  The Carnegie Institution is led by its president, the 
biologist Maxine F. Singer.
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AS SPACE MISSIONS BECOME LONGER, EFFECTS ON BODY AND MIND NEED 
STUDY
National Academy of Sciences release

Construction of the International Space Station scheduled to start 
later this year marks another milestone in space exploration.  
Research missions that once lasted only a few weeks, could 
routinely last many months, even years.  But health effects of the 
space environment observed during short flights raise concerns 
about the safety and performance of astronauts during longer 
missions.  Because these detrimental effects could be intensified 
by extended missions, NASA should support additional research into 
the consequences of space flight on the biology and behavior of 
humans and other organisms, says a new report from a committee of 
the National Research Council.

The report provides a comprehensive review of the findings to date 
from a wide range of life sciences research for space.  It also 
outlines the areas of research on humans and other organisms that 
NASA should pursue if it is to successfully achieve such long-term 
goals as operating the International Space Station, colonizing the 
moon, and sending humans to Mars.

NASA should mount at least one more Spacelab-type mission to 
continue the momentum of life sciences research in space and 
generate additional data on the biological and psychological 
effects of space travel, the committee said.  It recommended 
specific research priorities to ensure the safety and optimal 
performance of crews on future extended missions.

NASA should concentrate on fully understanding how weightlessness 
affects bone and muscle mass, blood pressure, sensory orientation, 
and movement, in order to devise effective countermeasures, the 
committee said.  Losses in bone and muscle mass pose two of the 
greatest obstacles to health and safety on long missions.  Crew 
members on the Russian space station Mir showed an average loss in 
bone mass density of up to 1 percent a month in weight-bearing 
bones, the report notes.  Significant muscle atrophy has been 
recorded after only five days in space.  In-flight exercise 
programs proved helpful, but did not fully prevent deterioration.

Changes in cardiovascular and pulmonary function have not yet been 
a hindrance during space flight.  However, two-thirds of the 
astronauts tested after flights showed an impaired ability to 
maintain adequate blood pressure.  This condition could have more 
serious consequences during docking and landing maneuvers 
involving rapid transitions between gravitational force levels.

The agency should use the latest advances in molecular and 
cellular biology to explore the underlying processes by which 
humans respond to changes in gravity, the report says.  Low 
gravity alters the body's ability to sense direction and control 
motion, sometimes impairing astronauts' ability to walk when they 
first return to Earth.  This condition could be exacerbated, the 
committee observed, and could undermine the crew's abilities to 
operate the craft or disembark rapidly in an emergency.

While space-based research will be crucial for advancing knowledge 
in these areas, most research funding should be directed to 
ground-based experiments--which are less costly to conduct--to 
answer fundamental questions and frame hypotheses for testing in 
outer space.  For example, self-supporting colonies in outer space 
will require the cultivation of plants in completely contained 
environments for food and an oxygen source.  So far this has not 
been successfully achieved either on Earth or in space, the report 
notes.

The report emphasizes the need for more research on the impact of 
the space environment's isolating and confining nature on 
astronauts' behavior and performance.  This is one of the least-
studied effects of space flight, yet the compatibility of 
crewmembers and their mental well-being can greatly influence the 
ultimate success of a mission.

NASA also should improve its collection of data from astronauts to 
answer fundamental questions about the effects of space travel on 
the human body and mind.  This process thus far has been arbitrary 
and often hindered by astronauts' concerns about confidentiality.  
The agency should revise its policies and practices to create a 
more systematic approach to collecting and disseminating such 
information, and encourage full cooperation and compliance from 
the astronauts.

In addition, NASA should encourage more timely publication of 
results of experiments in peer-reviewed journals, and the agency 
should provide the funding necessary to analyze and archive data 
so that it is readily accessible to the scientific community.

NASA funded the study.  The National Research Council is the 
principal operating agency of the National Academy of Sciences and 
the National Academy of Engineering.  It is a private, non-profit 
institution that provides science advice under a congressional 
charter.  A committee roster follows.

Copies of A Strategy for Research in Space Biology and Medicine In 
the New Century are available from the National Academy Press for 
$49.00 (prepaid) plus shipping charges of $4.00 for the first copy 
and $.50 for each additional copy; tel.  (202) 334-3313 or 1-800-
624-6242.  Reporters may obtain a copy from the Office of News and 
Public Information (contacts listed above).

[The full report is available for online viewing at 
http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/enter2.cgi?0309060478.html]
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HEALTH RESEARCH IN SPACE FOR THE BENEFIT OF CANADIANS
CSA release

23 September 1998

The Canadian Space Agency announced today the launch of the 
Canadian experiments on board the NASA space shuttle Discovery 
mission STS-95 scheduled for October 29, 1998.  In a mission that 
has been dedicated to the study of aging, the Canadian experiments 
will impact health care and medical science issues such as 
osteoporosis, protein crystallization and bone marrow transplant 
procedures.  Support of these experiments illustrates the Canadian 
Space Agency's commitment to the development and application of 
space knowledge for the benefit of Canadians and humanity.

The three experiments are important studies involving Canadian 
research and development.  The first is OSTEO (Osteoporosis 
Experiments in Orbit).  It will study the underlying processes of 
bone loss from osteoporosis and evaluate a treatment for the 
condition.  Osteoporosis affects 1.4 million painful fractures, 
drastically impacting a person's life.  The other experiments will 
study how microgravity can enhance biological separation 
techniques and protein crystallization.  The research will 
contribute to bone marrow transplant procedures and possibly to 
treatments for breast cancer, diabetes and meningitis.

"We are going to be seeing more and more outcomes from research 
done in space," said CSA Astronaut Dr. Dave Williams.  "Canadian 
experiments on this mission are expected to influence health care 
and medical science issues that affect Canadians and people around 
the world."

The potential of the OSTEO experiment has attracted much attention 
from Canada's scientific, health, economic and government 
audiences.  The Canadian Space Agency is working in a joint 
venture with Allelix Biopharmaceuticals, and supporting the 
participation of Millenium Biologix Inc., Mount Sinai Hospital, 
University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto to 
ensure the success of the scientific research.  Also involved are 
the Ontario Science Centre and the Osteoporosis Society of Canada.  
These partnerships enhance the Canadian Space Agency's commitment 
to the development of a knowledge-based economy.

This year will be Canada's most ambitious year in space in the 
past 15 years.  Space Science '98 saw ten major missions on 
shuttles, Mir space station, satellites, rockets and high-altitude 
balloons.  Canadian scientists and engineers are working on 
experiments that could find solutions to ozone depletion, global 
warming, atmospheric pollution and osteoporosis--while also 
developing technical and medical innovations.  The Canadian 
experiments, including OSTEO, will confirm Canada's leading 
position in international space science research and support the 
private sector in their pursuit of a premium competitive position 
in the health care markets.

We also invite the media to visit the CSA's Newsroom from our web 
site at www.space.gc.ca to obtain additional information.
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A PROFESSIONAL WEBSITE DEDICATED TO EXTRASOLAR PLANETS 
AND EXOBIOLOGY
By Jean Schneider, Paris Observatory

The Extrasolar Planets Encyclpopaedia 
(http://www.obspm.fr/planets)
is a professional website dedicated to extrasolar planets and to
the search for Life outside the Solar System.
It contains:
- the latest news
- a complete bibliography (800 references)
- the catalog of confirmed extrasolar planets
- a complete list of meetings
- links to other relevant websites
It is updated almost every day and is referenced in all major
astronomy and exobiology websites (400:  NASA, etc.) and journals 
(Nature, Science, Scientific American, New York Times, etc.).
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ANOTHER NEW ASTROBIOLOGY WEB SITE
By David J. Thomas

I have created a new astrobiology web site, which is linked to the 
Marsbugs web site.  The new site contains links to online articles 
and other sites of interest pertaining to astrobiology, 
exobiology, ecopoeisis, terraformation, early evolution and 
extreme environments.  The site can be found at 
http://members.aol.com/Marsbugs/Terraformation/exobiology.html.
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End Marsbugs Vol. 5, No. 21





