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March 22, 2007

Ruth Dasso Marlaire


NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
Phone: 650-604-4709
E-mail: rmarlaire@mail.arc.nasa.gov

RELEASE: 07_14AR

NASA STUDIES LIFE'S LIMITS IN CHINA'S EXTREME DESERTS

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. - Searching for clues to the potential for life
on Mars, NASA scientists recently explored microbial communities in
some of the world’s oldest, driest and most remote deserts, in
China’s northwest region, and found evidence suggesting that
conditions there may be similar to those in certain regions of Mars.

This is the first comprehensive study of microbial ecosystems in the


extreme deserts of China. Scientists looked for microbial life and
tried to determine climate’s effect on the distribution, diversity
and abundance of that life in extreme conditions. Results of this
study were published recently in the Journal of Geophysical Research.

"Our findings showed that numerous sources of water, such as rainfall


and snowmelt, characterized how microbial life existed in its
environment," said Chris McKay, the principal investigator at NASA
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. “Rainfall amounts
primarily dictated the type of microbial ecosystems we found across
sites, but the effects of temperature, humidity and light created a
gradient of soil water conditions suitable for life as well,â€​ added
McKay.

In December 2006, NASA published satellite images from the Mars Global
Surveyor mission that showed periodically changing gullies on the
surface of Mars. Although no one knows for sure how the martian
gullies were formed, some scientists hypothesize that they may be the
result of surfacing groundwater or melting of ice in the martian
subsurface.

According to McKay, single-celled organisms can exist only if there is


enough water, which determines life’s limits. To study the
possibilities of microbial life on Mars, scientists went to the most
arid, Mars-like environments they could find on Earth – the dry
valleys of Antarctica, the Atacama Desert of Chile, and now
northwestern China.

Scientists who are interested in Mars and its environmental conditions


have been studying microbial ecosystems in the deserts of Earth for
years, focusing on blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria. The bacteria’s
green color indicates they are capable of photosynthesis, the
principal process by which organisms produce organic matter from
inorganic matter.

According to scientists, microbial photosynthesis can occur within and


under rocks in the desert. If the rock is porous, like sandstone,
then cyanobacteria can live within its pores or crevices, where water
can be held. More commonly, cyanobacteria are found under translucent
rocks, such as quartzite, where light can penetrate, allowing
photosynthesis to occur.

To broaden understanding of the dynamic physical environments that


allow for microbial survival, McKay’s research team traveled to
China’s extreme northwest region in the spring of 2006 for data
collecting and analyses. Field locations -- including Tokesun,
Ruoqiang and Sorkuli – were selected based on contrasting
temperatures and amounts of regional rainfall.

Tokesun contains the lowest point in China, approximately 500 feet


(152 m.) below sea level. It was selected because it is hot and dry.
Ruoqiang runs parallel to the southern edge of the Taklimakan Desert
and is hot and wet.

Sorkuli is a high-altitude desert, ranging between 8,200 feet and


9,840 feet (2500 m. to 3000 m.) that is situated along the
Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. Climate conditions there vary due to changes
in altitude and landscape. It has two types of environments: cold and
dry, and cold and wet.

“Through a comparison of similar available climate data for other


deserts, we conclude that from a microbial physiological standpoint,
although the Atacama Desert represents the driest environment
recorded, and the Dry Valleys in Antarctica represent the coldest
desert conditions, the high-altitude deserts in the Qinghai-Tibetan
Plateau represent the coldest and driest conditions recorded on
Earth," said McKay.

This research was funded under the NASA Astrobiology Science and
Technology for Exploring Planets program and a joint NASA - National
Science Foundation program, called Life in Extreme Environments.
For more information about NASA on the Web, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/home

For related images, visit:

Map of approximate area of sandy and gobi deserts (shamo) and sandy
lands (shadi) in China

Desert site images

-end-

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