ʻAʻole loaʻa nā microorganism i ka lepo o ka puʻu pōhaku ma waena o Antarctica.
No ka manawa mua, ua ʻike ka poʻe ʻepekema ʻaʻohe ola ma ka lepo ma ka ʻili o ka Honua. Aia ka lepo mai nā kualono makani ʻelua i loko o Antarctica, 300 mile mai ka Pole Hema, kahi e komo ai nā tausani kapuaʻi hau i nā mauna.
"Ua noʻonoʻo ka poʻe he paʻakikī nā microbes a hiki ke noho ma nā wahi āpau," wahi a Noah Firer, he microbial ecologist ma ke Kulanui o Colorado Boulder nona ka hui e aʻo i ka lepo. Ma hope o nā mea a pau, ua ʻike ʻia nā mea ola hoʻokahi e noho ana i loko o nā makani hydrothermal me nā mahana ma mua o 200 degere Fahrenheit, ma nā loko ma lalo o ka hapalua mile o ka hau ma Antarctica, a hiki i 120,000 kapuaʻi ma luna o ka stratosphere o ka Honua. Akā ma hope o hoʻokahi makahiki o ka hana, ʻaʻole i loaʻa iā Ferrer a me kāna haumāna kauka ʻo Nicholas Dragon kekahi mau hōʻailona o ke ola ma ka ʻāina Antarctic a lākou i hōʻiliʻili ai.
Ua aʻo ʻo Firer a me Dragone i nā ʻāina mai 11 mau pae mauna like ʻole, e hōʻike ana i nā kūlana ākea. Loaʻa i nā mea mai nā wahi mauna haʻahaʻa a liʻiliʻi ke anu i ka bacteria a me nā haʻi. Akā ma kekahi mau mauna o nā pae mauna kiʻekiʻe loa, maloʻo loa a me ke anu, ʻaʻohe hōʻailona o ke ola.
"ʻAʻole hiki iā mākou ke ʻōlelo he sterile lākou," wahi a Ferrer. Ua maʻa nā microbiologists i ka loaʻa ʻana o nā miliona o nā cell i loko o kahi teaspoon o ka lepo. No laila, hiki i kahi helu liʻiliʻi loa (e laʻa me 100 mau cell viable) hiki ke pakele i ka ʻike ʻia. "Akā e like me kā mākou ʻike, ʻaʻohe o lākou microorganisms."
Inā ʻaʻohe ola o kekahi lepo a i ʻole i ʻike ʻia ma hope he mau keena ola, hiki i nā ʻike hou i paʻi ʻia ma ka puke pai ʻo JGR Biogeosciences ke kōkua i ka ʻimi ʻana i ke ola ma Mars. ʻO ka lepo Antartika ka paʻakai paʻa mau loa, piha i nā paʻakai ʻawaʻawa, a ʻaʻohe wai wai nui no ʻelua miliona mau makahiki—e like me ka lepo Martian.
Ua hōʻiliʻili ʻia lākou i ka huakaʻi i kākoʻo ʻia e ka National Science Foundation ma Ianuali 2018 i nā wahi mamao o nā mauna Transantarctic. Hele lākou i loko o ka ʻāina, e hoʻokaʻawale ana i ka pā polar kiʻekiʻe ma ka hikina mai ka hau haʻahaʻa ma ke komohana. Ua hoʻonohonoho ka poʻe ʻepekema i kahi hoʻomoana ma ka Shackleton Glacier, he 60-mile conveyor belt o ka hau e kahe ana i kahi lua o nā mauna. Ua hoʻohana lākou i nā helikopter e lele i nā kiʻekiʻe kiʻekiʻe a e hōʻiliʻili i nā laʻana i luna a i lalo i ka glacier.
I loko o nā mauna mehana a pulu ma ke kumu o ka glacier, he mau haneri kapuaʻi wale nō ma luna o ka ʻilikai, ua ʻike lākou ua noho ʻia ka lepo e nā holoholona liʻiliʻi ma mua o ka hua sesame: nā ilo microscopic, nā tardigrades ʻewalu wāwae, nā rotifers a me nā ilo liʻiliʻi. kapa ʻia ʻo springtails. ʻEheu ʻēheu. Aia i loko o kēia mau ʻāina one one ka emi iho o ka hapahā tausani o ka nui o nā hua bacteria i loaʻa i loko o ka mauʻu i hoʻomaʻemaʻe maikaʻi ʻia.
Akā, ua nalowale kēia mau hōʻailona o ke ola i ka wā i kipa aku ai ka hui i nā mauna kiʻekiʻe aʻe i loko o ka glacier. Ma ka piko o ka glacier, ua kipa aku lākou i ʻelua mauna—Mount Schroeder a me Mount Roberts—ʻoi aku ma mua o 7,000 kapuaʻi ke kiʻekiʻe.
ʻO nā kipa ʻana i ka mauna ʻo Schroeder he mea hoʻomāinoino, e hoʻomanaʻo ana ʻo Byron Adams, he mea olaola ma Brigham Young University ma Provo, Utah, nāna i alakaʻi i ka papahana. ʻO ka mahana o kēia lā kauwela kokoke i 0°F. ʻO ka makani uwē i hoʻoheheʻe mālie i ka hau a me ka hau, e waiho ana i nā mauna, he hoʻoweliweli mau i ka hāpai ʻana a me ka hoʻolei ʻana i nā ʻōpala kīhāpai a lākou i lawe mai ai e ʻeli i ke one. Ua uhi ʻia ka ʻāina i nā pōhaku pele ʻulaʻula i hoʻopau ʻia i nā haneli miliona mau makahiki e ka makani a me ka ua, a waiho ʻia lākou i ka lua a me ka poli.
I ka hāpai ʻana o ka poʻe ʻepekema i ka pōhaku, ua ʻike lākou ua uhi ʻia kona kumu me kahi ʻōpala o nā paʻakai keʻokeʻo - nā kristal ʻona o ka perchlorate, chlorate, a me ka nitrate. ʻO nā perchlorates a me nā chlorates, nā paʻakai corrosive-reactive i hoʻohana ʻia i ka wahie rocket a me ka bleach ʻoihana, loaʻa pū kekahi ma ka ili o Mars. Me ka wai ʻole e holoi ai, hōʻiliʻili ka paʻakai ma kēia mau mauna Antartika maloʻo.
"Ua like ia me ka laʻana ma Mars," wahi a Adams. Ke hoʻopaʻa ʻoe i kahi ʻōʻō i loko, "ʻike ʻoe ʻo ʻoe ka mea mua e hoʻopilikia i ka lepo no ka manawa pau ʻole - miliona mau makahiki paha."
Ua manaʻo ka poʻe noiʻi ʻoiai ma nā kiʻekiʻe kiʻekiʻe a me nā kūlana koʻikoʻi, e ʻike mau lākou i nā microorganism ola i ka lepo. Akā ua hoʻomaka kēlā mau manaʻolana i ka pau ʻana o ka makahiki 2018, i ka wā i hoʻohana ai ʻo Dragon i kahi ʻenehana i kapa ʻia ʻo polymerase chain reaction (PCR) e ʻike ai i ka DNA microbial i ka lepo. Ua hoʻāʻo ʻo Dragon i nā laʻana 204 mai nā mauna ma luna a ma lalo o ka glacier. ʻO nā laʻana mai nā mauna haʻahaʻa haʻahaʻa haʻahaʻa i hāʻawi mai i ka nui o ka DNA; akā, ʻaʻole i hoʻāʻo ʻia ka hapa nui o nā laʻana (20%) mai nā kiʻekiʻe kiʻekiʻe, me ka hapa nui mai Mount Schroeder a me Roberts Massif, no nā hopena, e hōʻike ana he kakaikahi nā microorganism a i ʻole ʻaʻole loa.
"I kona hoʻomaka ʻana e hōʻike mai iaʻu i kekahi mau hopena, manaʻo wau, 'Ua hewa kekahi mea,'" wahi a Ferrell. Ua manaʻo ʻo ia aia kekahi hewa i ka laʻana a i ʻole nā ​​mea hana lab.
Ua hana ʻo Dragon i nā ʻano hoʻokolohua hou e ʻimi ai i nā hōʻailona o ke ola. Ua mālama ʻo ia i ka lepo me ka glucose e ʻike inā hoʻololi kekahi mau mea ola o ka lepo iā ia i carbon dioxide. Ke hoʻāʻo nei ʻo ia e ʻimi i kahi kemika i kapa ʻia ʻo ATP, i hoʻohana ʻia e nā mea ola āpau ma ka Honua e mālama i ka ikehu. No kekahi mau mahina, ua mahi ʻo ia i nā ʻāpana lepo i loko o nā ʻano meaʻai like ʻole, e hoʻāʻo ana e hōʻoia i nā microorganism e ulu ana i mau kolone.
"Ua hoʻolei ʻo Nick i ka paila kīhini i kēia mau laʻana," wahi a Ferrell. ʻOiai ʻo kēia mau hoʻāʻo ʻana, ʻaʻohe mea i loaʻa iā ia ma kekahi mau lepo. “He mea kupanaha loa ia.”
Ua kapa ʻo Jacqueline Gurdial, he microbiologist kaiapuni ma ke Kulanui o Guelph ma Kanada, i nā hopena he "hoʻowalewale," ʻoi aku ka hoʻāʻo ʻana o Dragon e hoʻoholo i nā mea e pili ana i ka loaʻa ʻana o nā microorganism ma kahi i hāʻawi ʻia. Ua ʻike ʻo ia ʻo ke kiʻekiʻe kiʻekiʻe a me ke kiʻekiʻe o ka chlorate concentration ka mea wānana ikaika loa o ka hiki ʻole ke ʻike i ke ola. "He ʻike hoihoi loa kēia," wahi a Goodyear. "Haʻi nui kēia iā mākou e pili ana i nā palena o ke ola ma ka Honua."
ʻAʻole ʻo ia i manaʻoʻiʻo he ola maoli ko lākou lepo, ʻo kekahi hapa ma muli o kāna ʻike ponoʻī ma kekahi ʻāpana o Antarctica.
I kekahi mau makahiki i hala aku nei, ua aʻo ʻo ia i nā lepo mai kahi ʻano like ʻole ma Transantarctic Mountains, he wahi he 500 mile ma ke komohana ʻākau o Shackleton Glacier i kapa ʻia ʻo University Valley ʻaʻole paha i loaʻa ka wai nui a i ʻole ka wela heheʻe no 120,000 mau makahiki. I kona hoʻomoʻa ʻana iā ia no 20 mau mahina ma 23 ° F, kahi mahana wela maʻamau i ke awāwa, ʻaʻohe hōʻailona o ke ola. Akā i ka wā i hoʻomehana ai ʻo ia i nā laʻana lepo ma mua o ka hau hau, ua hōʻike kekahi i ka ulu ʻana o ka maʻi bacteria.
No ka laʻana, ua ʻike nā kānaka ʻepekema e ola mau ana nā cell bacteria ma hope o nā makahiki he mau makahiki i loko o nā glaciers. Ke hoʻopaʻa ʻia lākou, hiki i ka metabolism o ke kelepona ke hoʻolohi i hoʻokahi miliona mau manawa. Hele lākou i kahi mokuʻāina kahi i ulu ʻole ai lākou, akā hoʻoponopono wale i ka pōʻino DNA i hana ʻia e nā kukui cosmic e komo ana i ka hau. Manaʻo ʻo Goodyear ʻo kēia mau "ola lohi" paha ka mea i loaʻa iā ia ma ke awāwa ʻo College - ua manaʻo ʻo ia inā ua loiloi ʻo Dragone lāua ʻo Firer i 10 mau manawa hou aku o ka lepo, ua loaʻa paha iā lākou ma Roberts Massif a i ʻole Schroeder Mountain.
Manaʻo ʻo Brent Christner, nāna i aʻo i nā microbes Antarctic ma ke Kulanui o Florida ma Gainesville, hiki i kēia mau lepo maloʻo ke kōkua i ka hoʻomaikaʻi ʻana i ka ʻimi ʻana i ke ola ma Mars.
Ua ʻike ʻo ia ʻo ka Viking 1 a me Viking 2 spacecraft, i pae i Mars i ka makahiki 1976, ua alakaʻi i nā hoʻokolohua ʻike ola ma muli o nā haʻawina o ka lepo haʻahaʻa kokoke i ke kahakai o Antarctica, kahi ʻāina i kapa ʻia ʻo Dry Valleys. Pulu kekahi o kēia mau lepo i ka wai hehee i ke kauwela. ʻAʻole i loko o lākou nā microorganism wale nō, akā ma kekahi mau wahi pū kekahi ilo liʻiliʻi a me nā holoholona ʻē aʻe.
ʻO ka ʻokoʻa, ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi o ka lepo maloʻo o Mount Roberts a me Mount Schroeder i nā kahua hoʻāʻo maikaʻi aʻe no nā mea kani Martian.
"He ino loa ka ili o Mars," wahi a Christner. "ʻAʻohe mea ola ma ka Honua e hiki ke ola ma ka ʻili" - ma ka liʻiliʻi o ka ʻīniha luna a ʻelua paha. Pono e mākaukau kēlā me kēia mokulele e hele ana i laila e ʻimi i ke ola e hana ma kekahi o nā wahi ʻoi loa o ka ʻoi loa o ka honua.
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