Antarctic nematodes survival in Martian and Lunar regolith simulants under terrestrial conditions

Abstract The exploration of extraterrestrial environments has become a focal point of scientific inquiry, driven by advancements in technology and a growing interest in the potential for life beyond Earth. This study investigates the adaptability of Antarctic nematodes, known for thriving in extreme...

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Main Authors: CESAR R.L. AMARAL, FÁBIO L.V. BONES, ANTONIO CARLOS DE FREITAS, RODRIGO GOLDENBERG-BARBOSA, MAITHÊ G.P. MAGALHÃES, LUCAS M. MOREIRA, DAFNE ANJOS, ANNA DONATO, ANTONIO AMORIM, PAULO E.A.S. CÂMARA
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Academia Brasileira de Ciências 2025-01-01
Series:Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências
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Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0001-37652024000401303&lng=en&tlng=en
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author CESAR R.L. AMARAL
FÁBIO L.V. BONES
ANTONIO CARLOS DE FREITAS
RODRIGO GOLDENBERG-BARBOSA
MAITHÊ G.P. MAGALHÃES
LUCAS M. MOREIRA
DAFNE ANJOS
ANNA DONATO
ANTONIO AMORIM
PAULO E.A.S. CÂMARA
author_facet CESAR R.L. AMARAL
FÁBIO L.V. BONES
ANTONIO CARLOS DE FREITAS
RODRIGO GOLDENBERG-BARBOSA
MAITHÊ G.P. MAGALHÃES
LUCAS M. MOREIRA
DAFNE ANJOS
ANNA DONATO
ANTONIO AMORIM
PAULO E.A.S. CÂMARA
author_sort CESAR R.L. AMARAL
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The exploration of extraterrestrial environments has become a focal point of scientific inquiry, driven by advancements in technology and a growing interest in the potential for life beyond Earth. This study investigates the adaptability of Antarctic nematodes, known for thriving in extreme cold and isolation, to simulated Martian (MGS-1) and Lunar (LMS-1) soils. The experiment revealed differential responses in nematode survivability to the two simulants, with Lunar soil demonstrating better adaptability compared to Martian soil. Our study provides valuable insights into the potential survivability of Antarctic nematodes on real Martian and Lunar substrates with the use of the MGS-1 and the LMS-1 under terrestrial conditions. The observed results suggest differential survival responses to Lunar (6.92 ± 0.74) and Martian (5.58 ± 1.91) regolith simulants and highlight the complexity of factors influencing organismal survival. Considering their crucial role in soil food webs, and their relation with nutrient cycling and carbon dioxide emissions, the observed capacity of nematodes to thrive in Martian and Lunar regoliths positions them as potential candidates to sustain human habitats, helping on the development of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) systems, and forming the basis for a biological life-support system to facilitate human survival in extraterrestrial environments.
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spelling doaj-art-683942032e4e462fa8efb9f3e53008042025-01-21T07:35:51ZengAcademia Brasileira de CiênciasAnais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências1678-26902025-01-0196suppl 210.1590/0001-3765202420240532Antarctic nematodes survival in Martian and Lunar regolith simulants under terrestrial conditionsCESAR R.L. AMARALhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-4314-3517FÁBIO L.V. BONEShttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-2956-1859ANTONIO CARLOS DE FREITAShttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-2671-6421RODRIGO GOLDENBERG-BARBOSAhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-4072-8608MAITHÊ G.P. MAGALHÃEShttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-3340-2236LUCAS M. MOREIRAhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-8084-7513DAFNE ANJOShttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-0769-2279ANNA DONATOhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-9286-8995ANTONIO AMORIMhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7518-6247PAULO E.A.S. CÂMARAhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3944-996XAbstract The exploration of extraterrestrial environments has become a focal point of scientific inquiry, driven by advancements in technology and a growing interest in the potential for life beyond Earth. This study investigates the adaptability of Antarctic nematodes, known for thriving in extreme cold and isolation, to simulated Martian (MGS-1) and Lunar (LMS-1) soils. The experiment revealed differential responses in nematode survivability to the two simulants, with Lunar soil demonstrating better adaptability compared to Martian soil. Our study provides valuable insights into the potential survivability of Antarctic nematodes on real Martian and Lunar substrates with the use of the MGS-1 and the LMS-1 under terrestrial conditions. The observed results suggest differential survival responses to Lunar (6.92 ± 0.74) and Martian (5.58 ± 1.91) regolith simulants and highlight the complexity of factors influencing organismal survival. Considering their crucial role in soil food webs, and their relation with nutrient cycling and carbon dioxide emissions, the observed capacity of nematodes to thrive in Martian and Lunar regoliths positions them as potential candidates to sustain human habitats, helping on the development of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) systems, and forming the basis for a biological life-support system to facilitate human survival in extraterrestrial environments.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0001-37652024000401303&lng=en&tlng=enAstrobiologyAntarcticanematodesmarsmoon
spellingShingle CESAR R.L. AMARAL
FÁBIO L.V. BONES
ANTONIO CARLOS DE FREITAS
RODRIGO GOLDENBERG-BARBOSA
MAITHÊ G.P. MAGALHÃES
LUCAS M. MOREIRA
DAFNE ANJOS
ANNA DONATO
ANTONIO AMORIM
PAULO E.A.S. CÂMARA
Antarctic nematodes survival in Martian and Lunar regolith simulants under terrestrial conditions
Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências
Astrobiology
Antarctica
nematodes
mars
moon
title Antarctic nematodes survival in Martian and Lunar regolith simulants under terrestrial conditions
title_full Antarctic nematodes survival in Martian and Lunar regolith simulants under terrestrial conditions
title_fullStr Antarctic nematodes survival in Martian and Lunar regolith simulants under terrestrial conditions
title_full_unstemmed Antarctic nematodes survival in Martian and Lunar regolith simulants under terrestrial conditions
title_short Antarctic nematodes survival in Martian and Lunar regolith simulants under terrestrial conditions
title_sort antarctic nematodes survival in martian and lunar regolith simulants under terrestrial conditions
topic Astrobiology
Antarctica
nematodes
mars
moon
url http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0001-37652024000401303&lng=en&tlng=en
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