Data di Pubblicazione:
2016
Citazione:
In a galaxy far, far away... traces? : astrobiological potential of ichnology / A. Baucon, C. Neto de Carvalho, R. Barbieri, F. Bernardini, B. Cavalazzi, A. Celani, F. Felletti, A. Ferretti, H.P. Schoenlaub, A. Todaro - In: Ichnia : abstract book / [a cura di] A. Baucon, C. Neto de Carvalho, J. Rodrigues. - Prima edizione. - [s.l] : UNESCO Geopark/International Ichnological Association, 2016. - ISBN 9789899788817. - pp. 242-242 (( Intervento presentato al 4. convegno International congress on Ichnology tenutosi a Idanha-a-Nova ( nel 2016.
Abstract:
Organism-substrate interactions and their products – individual traces and ichnofabrics – are important biosignatures on Earth as they represent direct evidence of biological behaviour. Nevertheless, ichnology received relatively little attention as a tool for searching life beyond Earth, and iconic traces such as burrows, footprints and coprolites have widely been ignored in the field of astrobiology, with few exceptions (microbially induced sedimentary structures, microborings). In the context of astrobiology, traces are characterized by the following characteristics:
1) Trace fossils preserve the activity of soft-bodied organisms;
2) Biogenic structures are resilient to processes that obliterate other
biosignatures (e.g. mechanical and chemical degradation, diagenesis,
tectonism, metamorphism);
3) Traces are very visible biosignatures;
4) Traces indicate environment and behaviour;
5) Traces are evidences of behaviour, therefore they can indicate life independently from morphology, size and biochemistry of tracemakers. These properties make ichnology a promising tool for the search for present and past life beyond Earth.
This work has been supported by the ROSAE project.
Tipologia IRIS:
03 - Contributo in volume
Elenco autori:
A. Baucon, C. Neto de Carvalho, R. Barbieri, F. Bernardini, B. Cavalazzi, A. Celani, F. Felletti, A. Ferretti, H.P. Schoenlaub, A. Todaro
Link alla scheda completa:
Titolo del libro:
Ichnia : abstract book