Free Newsletters - Space - Defense - Environment - Energy
..
. Mars Exploration News .




MARSDAILY
DNA-sequencing chip could be sent to Mars to search for signs of life
by Staff Writers
Cambridge, Mass. (UPI) Jul 11, 2013


disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only

U.S. researchers, in a step toward analyzing Mars for signs of life, say they've shown a gene-sequencing chip can survive space radiation.

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say they're working a DNA sequencer they hope will one day be sent to Mars to analyze soil and ice samples for traces of DNA and other genetic material.

The heart of the instrument -- a DNA-sequencing microchip -- has been exposed to radiation doses similar to what might be expected during a robotic expedition to Mars, after which it analyzed a test strain of E. coli and successfully identified its genetic sequence, MIT reported Thursday.

The results show the microchip can survive as long as two years in space, long enough to reach Mars and gather data for a year and a half, said Christopher Carr, a research scientist in MIT's Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences.

A DNA-sequencing instrument on the surface of Mars would have to withstand temperature swings and steady exposure to space radiation, he said.

"Over time on Mars, a chip's performance could degrade, reducing our ability to get sequence data. The chip might have a higher error rate, or could fail to function at all," Carr said. "We did not see any of these issues [in our tests]. ... Once this chip has been through two years of a Mars mission, it still will be able to sequence."

Carr said DNA sequencing could be conducted in places such as Jupiter's moon Europa, where liquid oceans may harbor signs of life, or on Enceladus, a moon of Saturn thought to be in a potential habitable zone that has much less intense radiation.

"I do think we'll see DNA sequencing in space at some point," he said. "Hopefully we'll get a chance to be a part of that."

.


Related Links
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle




Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News





MARSDAILY
Bacterium from Canadian High Arctic and life on Mars
Montreal, Canada (SPX) May 27, 2013
The temperature in the permafrost on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian high Arctic is nearly as cold as that of the surface of Mars. So the recent discovery by a McGill University led team of scientists of a bacterium that is able to thrive at -15+ C, the coldest temperature ever reported for bacterial growth, is exciting. The bacterium offers clues about some of the necessary preconditions ... read more


MARSDAILY
Scientist says Earth may once have been orbited by two moons

Dust hazard for Moon missions: scientists

NASA Seeks Information on Commercial Robotic Lunar Lander Capabilities

Orbiting astronaut controls robot on Earth, testing feasibility of CU-Boulder project on far side of the moon

MARSDAILY
China's space tracking ship Yuanwang-5 berths at Jakarta for replenishment

China plans to launch Tiangong-2 space lab around 2015

Twilight for Tiangong

China calls for international cooperation in manned space program

MARSDAILY
Station Astronauts Complete First of Two July Spacewalks

Russia to go ahead with space freighter launch

ISS technology to 'hear' potential leaks

Russian cosmonauts conduct space station tasks in spacewalk

MARSDAILY
NASA finds new moon on Neptune

A Giant Moon for the Ninth Planet

Kerberos and Styx: Welcome to the Pluto System

New Horizons Team Sticking to Original Flight Plan at Pluto

MARSDAILY
Revealed - the mystery of the gigantic storm on Saturn

Cassini Finds Hints of Activity at Saturn Moon Dione

Wild Weather Could Be Ahead on Titan

Cassini Shapes First Global Topographic Map of Titan

MARSDAILY
Research reveals Earth's core affects length of day

Google ditches location-sharing feature in map apps

Google updates Map app with new traffic, exploration functions

Long-lived oceanography satellite decommissioned after equipment fails

MARSDAILY
NASA Selects Seven Projects for 2014 X-Hab Innovation Challenge

Space seeds could "benefit" traditional Chinese medicines

Kennedy Facilities Key to NASA's Transition

Voyager 1 Explores Final Frontier Of Our Solar Bubble

MARSDAILY
Hubble Finds a Cobalt Blue Planet

Gaps in dust around stars may not indicate planets as many believe

Hubble Telescope reveals variation between hot extrasolar planet atmospheres

UCSB Astronomer Uncovers The Hidden Identity Of An Exoplanet




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement