Title :

Nuclear Magnetic Biosignatures in the Carbonaceous Matter of Ancient Cherts: Comparison with Carbonaceous Meteorites

Author(s) :

Gourier, Didier [Auteur]
TGE Réseau National de RPE interdisciplinaire - 3443 [RENARD]
Laboratoire de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris (site ENSCP) [LCMCP (site ENSCP)]
Delpoux, Olivier [Auteur]
TGE Réseau National de RPE interdisciplinaire - 3443 [RENARD]
Binet, Laurent [Auteur]
TGE Réseau National de RPE interdisciplinaire - 3443 [RENARD]
Laboratoire de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris (site ENSCP) [LCMCP (site ENSCP)]
Vezin, Herve [Auteur]
Laboratoire Avancé de Spectroscopie pour les Intéractions la Réactivité et l'Environnement (LASIRE) - UMR 8516

Journal title :

Astrobiology

Abbreviated title :

Astrobiology

Volume number :

13

Pages :

932-947

Publisher :

Mary Ann Liebert Inc

Publication date :

2013-10-21

ISSN :

1531-1074

English keyword(s) :

Kerogen
Biosignatures
Origin of life
Archean
EPR spectroscopy

HAL domain(s) :

Chimie/Chimie théorique et/ou physique

English abstract : [en]

The search for organic biosignatures is motivated by the hope of understanding the conditions of emergence of life on Earth and the perspective of finding traces of extinct life in martian sediments. Paramagnetic radicals, ...
Show more >The search for organic biosignatures is motivated by the hope of understanding the conditions of emergence of life on Earth and the perspective of finding traces of extinct life in martian sediments. Paramagnetic radicals, which exist naturally in amorphous carbonaceous matter fossilized in Precambrian cherts, were used as local structural probes and studied by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The nuclear magnetic resonance transitions of elements inside and around these radicals were detected by monitoring the nuclear modulations of electron spin echo in pulsed EPR. We found that the carbonaceous matter of fossilized microorganisms with age up to 3.5 billion years gives specific nuclear magnetic signatures of hydrogen (1H), carbon (13C), and phosphorus (31P) nuclei. We observed that these potential biosignatures of extinct life are found neither in the carbonaceous matter of carbonaceous meteorites (4.56 billion years), the most ancient objects of the Solar System, nor in any carbonaceous matter resulting from carbonization of organic and bioorganic precursors. These results indicate that these nuclear signatures are sensitive to thermal episodes and can be used for Archean cherts with metamorphism not higher than the greenschist facies.Show less >

Peer reviewed article :

Oui

Audience :

Internationale

Popular science :

Non

Administrative institution(s) :

Université de Lille
CNRS

Collections :

• Laboratoire Avancé de Spectroscopie pour les Intéractions la Réactivité et l'Environnement (LASIRE) - UMR 8516

Research team(s) :

Propriétés magnéto structurales des matériaux (PMSM)

Submission date :

2021-06-17T15:21:19Z
2021-10-05T10:53:33Z