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Emergence of biosignatures on Earth and implications for life detection.

Λεπτομέρειες βιβλιογραφικής εγγραφής
Τίτλος: Emergence of biosignatures on Earth and implications for life detection.
Συγγραφείς: Barge LM; National Aeronautics and Space Administration Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109., Eigenbrode JL; National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center, Solar System Exploration Division, Greenbelt, MD 20771., Fournier G; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Cambridge, MA 02139., Theiling B; National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center, Solar System Exploration Division, Greenbelt, MD 20771.
Πηγή: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America [Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A] 2026 Aug 18; Vol. 123 (33), pp. e2520594123. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Aug 14.
Τύπος έκδοσης: Journal Article
Γλώσσα: English
Στοιχεία περιοδικού: Publisher: National Academy of Sciences Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 7505876 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1091-6490 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00278424 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Original Publication: Washington, DC : National Academy of Sciences
Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): Exobiology*/methods , Organic Chemicals*/chemistry , Earth, Planet* , Origin of Life* , Evolution, Chemical*, Extraterrestrial Environment/chemistry ; Evolution, Planetary
Περίληψη: Earth's organic chemical evolution (OCE) from abiotic to prebiotic to biotic provides critical insights that may have implications for how we interpret observations made by life-detection planetary missions. To search for life on other worlds, astrobiologists seek biosignatures: features that indicate the presence of extant or extinct life as we know it. However, because the age of putative extraterrestrial biospheres is unknown, biosignatures present at or shortly after life's emergence may have been diluted with prebiotic or abiotic signatures. Thus, the emergence of biosignatures and their formation context are critical considerations for mission interpretations, especially where there is no obvious pervasive biosphere. Here, we provide a structured approach for interpreting chemical states across the continuum of OCE on a planetary body. We distinguish between universal biosignatures of a world vs. specific biosignatures that are tied to environmental or temporal conditions of that world. We then consider how the evolution of a planetary body would impact the expression of these signatures over time. The detection of active prebiotic chemistry-that is, signatures that fall in the ambiguous transition between prebiotic and living systems-would be a hallmark discovery, providing insight into life's origins and justifying investment in further exploration of such worlds. Leveraging Earth as an example, we suggest that while mission observations may be more challenging to interpret than previously thought, they may also open doors to a more productive exploration of our planetary neighbors.
Competing Interests: Competing interests statement:L.M.B. and J.L.E. are members of the NASA Mars Science Laboratory mission team; L.M.B. is a member of the NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mission team. L.M.B. is the co-chair of the BOD of the Scientific Society for Astrobiology, is a Co-lead of the Nexus for Exoplanet System Science Research Coordination Network; participated in the NASA Decadal Astrobiology Research and Exploration Strategy Task Force 1 and 2; and was a member of the National Academies “A Science Strategy for the Human Exploration of Mars: Panel on Astrobiology.” J.L.E. is a member of the Dragonfly Mission Standing Review Board; formerly a member of the Mars Exploration Program Standing Review Board; and formerly a member of the NASA HQ Mars Sample Return Independent Review Board Response Team.
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Life (Basel). 2023 Mar 13;13(3):. (PMID: 36983921)
Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2021 Apr 1;13(4):. (PMID: 33795250)
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Astrobiology. 2022 Apr;22(4):481-493. (PMID: 34898272)
RNA. 2020 Aug;26(8):910-936. (PMID: 32303649)
Astrobiology. 2018 Nov;18(11):1479-1496. (PMID: 30129781)
Enzymes. 2017;41:51-88. (PMID: 28601226)
J Mol Evol. 2025 Apr;93(2):193-211. (PMID: 39992367)
Nat Ecol Evol. 2024 Sep;8(9):1654-1666. (PMID: 38997462)
Astrobiology. 2022 Jun;22(6):685-712. (PMID: 35290745)
HFSP J. 2007 Sep;1(3):156-68. (PMID: 19404443)
Astrobiology. 2024 Dec;24(12):1220-1230. (PMID: 39605196)
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Jun 16;112(24):7489-94. (PMID: 26034281)
Astrobiology. 2018 Nov;18(11):1375-1402. (PMID: 29862836)
Nat Microbiol. 2016 Nov 25;1:16229. (PMID: 27886195)
Faraday Discuss. 2006;133:277-88; discussion 347-74, 449-52. (PMID: 17191452)
Nat Commun. 2015 Oct 27;6:8604. (PMID: 26506464)
Nat Astron. 2025;9(2):199-210. (PMID: 39990238)
Astrobiology. 2025 Jul;25(7):464-473. (PMID: 40633124)
Science. 2017 Apr 14;356(6334):155-159. (PMID: 28408597)
Sci Adv. 2024 Sep 27;10(39):eadp3664. (PMID: 39321287)
Sci Rep. 2015 Mar 24;5:9414. (PMID: 25802223)
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2015 Aug 17;54(34):9871-5. (PMID: 26201989)
Astrobiology. 2017 Jul 1;17(6-7):655-685. (PMID: 31067288)
Chem Soc Rev. 2013 Mar 7;42(5):2186-96. (PMID: 23340907)
Nat Commun. 2022 Jun 25;13(1):3639. (PMID: 35752637)
J Mol Evol. 2024 Oct;92(5):539-549. (PMID: 39244680)
Chem Rev. 2020 Jun 10;120(11):4660-4689. (PMID: 31743015)
Orig Life Evol Biosph. 2002 Apr;32(2):165-79. (PMID: 12185674)
Nat Commun. 2017 Dec 11;8(1):2033. (PMID: 29229963)
Top Curr Chem. 2013;333:41-82. (PMID: 22976459)
Nature. 2018 Jun;558(7711):564-568. (PMID: 29950623)
Astrobiology. 2025 Jul;25(7):474-481. (PMID: 40633109)
ACS Earth Space Chem. 2024 May 06;8(5):937-944. (PMID: 38774359)
Life (Basel). 2023 Jun 26;13(7):. (PMID: 37511823)
Orig Life Evol Biosph. 2018 Mar;48(1):35-54. (PMID: 28685374)
Nature. 2015 Mar 12;519(7542):207-10. (PMID: 25762281)
J Proteome Res. 2021 Feb 5;20(2):1444-1450. (PMID: 33078610)
Sci Adv. 2024 Apr 19;10(16):eadj7179. (PMID: 38630826)
Science. 2006 Dec 15;314(5806):1720-4. (PMID: 17170291)
Curr Biol. 2016 Sep 26;26(18):R851-R853. (PMID: 27676305)
Nat Commun. 2025 Feb 03;16(1):1306. (PMID: 39900576)
ACS Cent Sci. 2016 Jun 22;2(6):370-9. (PMID: 27413780)
Contributed Indexing: Keywords: biosignatures; biosphere; evolution; origin of life; prebiotic chemistry
Substance Nomenclature: 0 (Organic Chemicals)
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20260814 Date Completed: 20260814 Latest Revision: 20260821
Update Code: 20260821
PubMed Central ID: PMC13486556
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2520594123
PMID: 42599786
Βάση Δεδομένων: MEDLINE
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PubType: Academic Journal
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  Data: Emergence of biosignatures on Earth and implications for life detection.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Barge+LM%22">Barge LM</searchLink>; National Aeronautics and Space Administration Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Eigenbrode+JL%22">Eigenbrode JL</searchLink>; National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center, Solar System Exploration Division, Greenbelt, MD 20771.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Fournier+G%22">Fournier G</searchLink>; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Cambridge, MA 02139.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Theiling+B%22">Theiling B</searchLink>; National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center, Solar System Exploration Division, Greenbelt, MD 20771.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%227505876%22">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America</searchLink> [Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A] 2026 Aug 18; Vol. 123 (33), pp. e2520594123. <i>Date of Electronic Publication: </i>2026 Aug 14.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Exobiology%22">Exobiology*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Exobiology+methods%22">methods</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Organic+Chemicals%22">Organic Chemicals*</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Organic+Chemicals+chemistry%22">chemistry</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Earth%2C+Planet%22">Earth, Planet*</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Origin+of+Life%22">Origin of Life*</searchLink> <br /><searchLink fieldCode="MM" term="%22Evolution%2C+Chemical%22">Evolution, Chemical*</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Extraterrestrial+Environment%22">Extraterrestrial Environment</searchLink>/<searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Extraterrestrial+Environment+chemistry%22">chemistry</searchLink> ; <searchLink fieldCode="MH" term="%22Evolution%2C+Planetary%22">Evolution, Planetary</searchLink>
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  Data: Earth's organic chemical evolution (OCE) from abiotic to prebiotic to biotic provides critical insights that may have implications for how we interpret observations made by life-detection planetary missions. To search for life on other worlds, astrobiologists seek biosignatures: features that indicate the presence of extant or extinct life as we know it. However, because the age of putative extraterrestrial biospheres is unknown, biosignatures present at or shortly after life's emergence may have been diluted with prebiotic or abiotic signatures. Thus, the emergence of biosignatures and their formation context are critical considerations for mission interpretations, especially where there is no obvious pervasive biosphere. Here, we provide a structured approach for interpreting chemical states across the continuum of OCE on a planetary body. We distinguish between universal biosignatures of a world vs. specific biosignatures that are tied to environmental or temporal conditions of that world. We then consider how the evolution of a planetary body would impact the expression of these signatures over time. The detection of active prebiotic chemistry-that is, signatures that fall in the ambiguous transition between prebiotic and living systems-would be a hallmark discovery, providing insight into life's origins and justifying investment in further exploration of such worlds. Leveraging Earth as an example, we suggest that while mission observations may be more challenging to interpret than previously thought, they may also open doors to a more productive exploration of our planetary neighbors.
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Competing Interests
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  Data: Competing interests statement:L.M.B. and J.L.E. are members of the NASA Mars Science Laboratory mission team; L.M.B. is a member of the NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mission team. L.M.B. is the co-chair of the BOD of the Scientific Society for Astrobiology, is a Co-lead of the Nexus for Exoplanet System Science Research Coordination Network; participated in the NASA Decadal Astrobiology Research and Exploration Strategy Task Force 1 and 2; and was a member of the National Academies “A Science Strategy for the Human Exploration of Mars: Panel on Astrobiology.” J.L.E. is a member of the Dragonfly Mission Standing Review Board; formerly a member of the Mars Exploration Program Standing Review Board; and formerly a member of the NASA HQ Mars Sample Return Independent Review Board Response Team.
– Name: Ref
  Label: References
  Group: RefInfo
  Data: Chem Soc Rev. 2012 Aug 21;41(16):5416-29. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2222688720%22">22688720)</searchLink><br />Life (Basel). 2023 Mar 13;13(3):. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2236983921%22">36983921)</searchLink><br />Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2021 Apr 1;13(4):. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2233795250%22">33795250)</searchLink><br />Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025 Dec 9;122(49):e2512461122. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2241284850%22">41284850)</searchLink><br />Astrobiology. 2022 Apr;22(4):481-493. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2234898272%22">34898272)</searchLink><br />RNA. 2020 Aug;26(8):910-936. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2232303649%22">32303649)</searchLink><br />Astrobiology. 2018 Nov;18(11):1479-1496. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2230129781%22">30129781)</searchLink><br />Enzymes. 2017;41:51-88. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2228601226%22">28601226)</searchLink><br />J Mol Evol. 2025 Apr;93(2):193-211. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2239992367%22">39992367)</searchLink><br />Nat Ecol Evol. 2024 Sep;8(9):1654-1666. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2238997462%22">38997462)</searchLink><br />Astrobiology. 2022 Jun;22(6):685-712. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2235290745%22">35290745)</searchLink><br />HFSP J. 2007 Sep;1(3):156-68. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2219404443%22">19404443)</searchLink><br />Astrobiology. 2024 Dec;24(12):1220-1230. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2239605196%22">39605196)</searchLink><br />Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Jun 16;112(24):7489-94. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2226034281%22">26034281)</searchLink><br />Astrobiology. 2018 Nov;18(11):1375-1402. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2229862836%22">29862836)</searchLink><br />Nat Microbiol. 2016 Nov 25;1:16229. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2227886195%22">27886195)</searchLink><br />Faraday Discuss. 2006;133:277-88; discussion 347-74, 449-52. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2217191452%22">17191452)</searchLink><br />Nat Commun. 2015 Oct 27;6:8604. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2226506464%22">26506464)</searchLink><br />Nat Astron. 2025;9(2):199-210. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2239990238%22">39990238)</searchLink><br />Astrobiology. 2025 Jul;25(7):464-473. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2240633124%22">40633124)</searchLink><br />Science. 2017 Apr 14;356(6334):155-159. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2228408597%22">28408597)</searchLink><br />Sci Adv. 2024 Sep 27;10(39):eadp3664. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2239321287%22">39321287)</searchLink><br />Sci Rep. 2015 Mar 24;5:9414. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2225802223%22">25802223)</searchLink><br />Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2015 Aug 17;54(34):9871-5. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2226201989%22">26201989)</searchLink><br />Astrobiology. 2017 Jul 1;17(6-7):655-685. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2231067288%22">31067288)</searchLink><br />Chem Soc Rev. 2013 Mar 7;42(5):2186-96. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2223340907%22">23340907)</searchLink><br />Nat Commun. 2022 Jun 25;13(1):3639. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2235752637%22">35752637)</searchLink><br />J Mol Evol. 2024 Oct;92(5):539-549. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2239244680%22">39244680)</searchLink><br />Chem Rev. 2020 Jun 10;120(11):4660-4689. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2231743015%22">31743015)</searchLink><br />Orig Life Evol Biosph. 2002 Apr;32(2):165-79. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2212185674%22">12185674)</searchLink><br />Nat Commun. 2017 Dec 11;8(1):2033. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2229229963%22">29229963)</searchLink><br />Top Curr Chem. 2013;333:41-82. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2222976459%22">22976459)</searchLink><br />Nature. 2018 Jun;558(7711):564-568. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2229950623%22">29950623)</searchLink><br />Astrobiology. 2025 Jul;25(7):474-481. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2240633109%22">40633109)</searchLink><br />ACS Earth Space Chem. 2024 May 06;8(5):937-944. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2238774359%22">38774359)</searchLink><br />Life (Basel). 2023 Jun 26;13(7):. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2237511823%22">37511823)</searchLink><br />Orig Life Evol Biosph. 2018 Mar;48(1):35-54. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2228685374%22">28685374)</searchLink><br />Nature. 2015 Mar 12;519(7542):207-10. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2225762281%22">25762281)</searchLink><br />J Proteome Res. 2021 Feb 5;20(2):1444-1450. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2233078610%22">33078610)</searchLink><br />Sci Adv. 2024 Apr 19;10(16):eadj7179. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2238630826%22">38630826)</searchLink><br />Science. 2006 Dec 15;314(5806):1720-4. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2217170291%22">17170291)</searchLink><br />Curr Biol. 2016 Sep 26;26(18):R851-R853. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2227676305%22">27676305)</searchLink><br />Nat Commun. 2025 Feb 03;16(1):1306. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2239900576%22">39900576)</searchLink><br />ACS Cent Sci. 2016 Jun 22;2(6):370-9. (PMID: <searchLink fieldCode="PM" term="%2227413780%22">27413780)</searchLink>
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