Effects of solar ultraviolet radiation on extremophils radior resistant in different soil depths

• Grant number: 21/06362-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2022
• End date: December 31, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Astronomy
• Principal Investigator: Adriana Benetti Marques Valio
• Grantee: Arthur Lemes Fuller
• Host Institution: Centro de Rádioastronomia e Astrofísica Mackenzie (CRAAM). Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie (UPM). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Microorganisms are of utmost importance within Astrobiology, which is the field responsible for understanding life, as well as its origin and evolution on Earth and in the rest of the Universe. As such, one of the most important points within this area is the search for life on other planets, including Mars. In our Solar System, Mars is one of the main candidates, given the conditions on its surface, for the emergence of life as we know it. Due to several climatic and geological characteristics, Mars currently does not allow for the emergence of very sensitive organisms, but there are still some species of microorganisms able to withstand extreme conditions, which are the so-called extremophiles, such as the Deinococcus radiodurans bacterium. This bacterium is the most radiation-resistant life form among all known organisms on Earth, and since Mars has an extremely thin atmosphere, the radiation that reaches the planet's surface is fatal to most organisms. Therefore, by simulating the Martian environment in a piece of equipment known as a microclimate chamber, such as the on in USP Fundamental Chemistry Laboratory, it will be possible to find out whether some organisms would be able to survive on Mars, considering the level of UV radiation emitted by the Sun that reaches the surface of the planet. The depth in the simulated soil where the bacteria will be placed will also be varied, to analyze if, at a certain depth, the effects of UV radiation on microorganisms can be mitigated.(AU)