BsC in Molecular Sciences by the University of Sao Paulo (2003), PhD in Astronomy by the Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics and Atmospherics Sciences of the University of Sao Paulo in 2009 and post-doctorate at the same institute (2012). Currently has a permanent position as researcher at the Synchrotron National Laboratory (LNLS/CNPEM), leading the Carnauba group, of the new nanofocus beamline of Sirius. He works on the field of Astrobiology and Planetary Sciences. He is also an associate researcher of the Research Unity of Astrobiology (NAP-Astrobio), of the University of Sao Paulo, and has experience on the study of the effects of radiation on chemical and biological systems. He uses theoretical, experimental and field work tools for the study on the interaction of life with its environment, in a way to extrapolate to other planets the information from present-day life on extreme environments of Earth, and past life, from the fossil record. He also works with the phenomenon of the origin of life, its adaptation to planetary surfaces and the habitability of the Solar System, including with the use of space-based platforms. (Source: Lattes Curriculum)
| News published in Agência FAPESP Newsletter about the researcher |
| TITULO |
| Articles published in other media outlets (0 total): |
| More itemsLess items |
| VEICULO: TITULO (DATA) |
| VEICULO: TITULO (DATA) |
Defining whether a particular structure in the geological or mineral record is of biological origin or not is an intrinsically multi-scale and multidisciplinary problem, and one of the most challenging in modern science. For the study of the history of our planet, especially in the deepest times, in the Precambrian, minerals are the basis for the characterization of the traces of microbia…
The Sairecabur volcano (5971 m), at the Atacama Desert, is a high-altitude extreme environment with high daily temperature variations, acidic soils, intense UV radiation and low availability of water. Four different species of yeasts were isolated from this region using oligotrophic media, identified and characterized for their tolerance to extreme conditions. rRNA sequencing revealed hig…
The precipitation of carbonates by microorganisms has been studied for several applications, such as understanding the environment of pre-salt reserves where microbialites are found and, more recently, to help detect life on other planets and planetary objects. In the latter case, there is a difficulty in identifying biosignatures related to the determination of biogenicity, that is, conf…
Rocks from Archean and Proterozoic ages can provide important information about the origin and evolution of life on Earth, as well as the interaction between the biosphere and the other spheres of the planet. The oldest records of life on Earth have often their biogenicity questioned. Generally, rocks like these are explored using conventional techniques with spatial and spectral resoluti…
It has already been described that carbonates can be precipitated by prokaryotes by (i) altering their microenvironment with the addition or removal of ions and increase or decrease of pH; (ii) production of extracellular cell wall or organic compounds that capture or concentrate ions, as well as isolate the microenvironment from external variations; and (iii) passive deposition of the mi…
The precipitation of dolomite in the Earth's current sedimentary environments occurs, for the most part, mediated by microorganisms. The way in which these bacteria are able to facilitate or induce biomineralization has not yet been fully elucidated in the literature. However it is known that they secrete an EPS (extracellular polymeric substance) matrix that facilitates the formation of …
(Only some records are available in English at this moment)
To understand the mechanism of carbonate mineralization by microorganisms is relevant to study the history of Early Earth, such as the formation of microbialites and carbonate deposits in the ocean. But there is still a difficulty in determining the biogenicity of minerals. Dolomite is a carbonate mineral commonly formed at high temperatures abiotically in nature, but there is great diffi…
Rocks from Precambrian ages can provide important information about the origin and evolution of life on Earth, as well as regarding the interaction between the biosphere and geosphere. The oldest records of life have often their biogenicity questioned. Materials like these have been explored using conventional techniques with spatial and spectral resolution limitations. Consequently, the …
The precipitation of dolomite in the Earth's modern sedimentary environments occurs, for the most part, mediated by microorganisms. The way in which bacteria are capable of facilitating or inducing mineral precipitation has not yet been fully elucidated. However, it is known that extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) secreted by bacteria facilitate the mineral nucleation and precipitat…
Microfossils are morphological biosignatures of microorganisms preserved in the geological record and comprise the oldest direct record of life on Earth. Their study can provide information about the palaeoenvironment and the origin and evolution of life on the Planet. However, due to the high level of geological processing over billions of years, the micrometric size and the chemical com…
| 1 / 1 | Ongoing research grants |
| 3 / 3 | Completed research grants |
| 1 / 1 | Ongoing scholarships in Brazil |
| 8 / 7 | Completed scholarships in Brazil |
| 2 / 2 | Ongoing scholarships abroad |
| 2 / 2 | Completed scholarships abroad |
| 17 / 16 | All research grants and scholarships |
| Associated processes | |
CV Lattes
ORCID