Earth System Processes - Global Meeting (June 24-28, 2001)

Paper No. 0
Presentation Time: 4:30 PM-6:00 PM

MICROBIAL COMMUNITY OF HYDROTHERMS SPACE SUBJECTS AS A POSSIBLE SOURCE OF ORIGIN OF LIFE ON THE EARTH


ZHMUR, Stanislav, Institute of the Lithosphere of Marginal Seas RAS, 22 Staromonetny per, Moscow, 109180, Russia and DUDA, Vitali, G.K. Skryabin Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms RAS, Pushchino, Moscow region, Pushchino, Russia, zhmur@ilran.ru

Investigation made of Early Proterozoic finefibrous kerites from quartz kernal of Volyn's pegmatites (Ukraine) and graphites of Paleozoic nefelinic sienites of Botogol massive (East Sayan) revealed that the first and the latter contained well expressed traces of ancient hydrothermal mats biomass in the form of carbonized remnants of microorganisms (of Phormidium, Lingbia, Mastigocladus, Colotrix-type) and fine biochemical markers - fatty-and aminoacides (Zhmur et al.,1996, Gorlenko, Zhmur, Duda et al.,1999). So lengthy preservation of primary biomass properties was made possible due to mummification of microorganisms remnants by asphaltens - product of sapropel substance early degradation stage. Evidence obtained about litified remnants of carbonaceous meteorites microorganisms belonging to hydrothermal mats(Zhmur,Gerasimenko,1999) testifies to the high probability of the existance of mummificated remnants of microorganisms in carbonaceous meteorites (that was confirmed by previous investigations) and to the possible presence in them of live substance which could be considered as panspermia material. Transportation of live Space substance to the Earth seems real, given the data obtained by (Duda et al., in lit.)on construction by microorganisms organomineral "cocoon" under unfovaurable conditions in natural substratum, protecting them from annihilation during lengthy periods of geological time. All this enables us to consider ancient cyanobacterial mats of space bodies hydrotherms to be a starting point for biosphere evolution not only on the Earth but in extraterrestial space as well.