The Martian surface is cold, dry, exposed to biologically harmful radiation and apparently
barren today. Nevertheless, there is clear geological evidence for warmer, wetter intervals in …

Here we review published studies on the abundance and diversity of terrestrial rock-hosted
life, the environments it inhabits, the evolution of its metabolisms, and its fossil biomarkers to …

We describe the history and features of the Ladder of Life Detection, a tool intended to guide
the design of investigations to detect microbial life within the practical constraints of robotic …

Subaerial endolithic systems of the current extreme environments on Earth provide
exclusive insight into emergence and development of soils in the Precambrian when due to …

Volcanic eruptions generate initially sterile materials where biological processes are absent,
allowing for the fresh colonization by new organisms. This review summarizes the …

In recent years the igneous oceanic crust has been recognized as a substantial microbial
habitat and a scientific frontier within Geology, Biology, and Oceanography. A few successful …

Initially, Raman spectroscopy was a specialized technique used by vibrational
spectroscopists; however, due to rapid advancements in instrumentation and imaging …

The igneous crust of the oceans and the continents represents the major part of Earth's
lithosphere and has recently been recognized as a substantial, yet underexplored, microbial …

Instruments for surface missions to extraterrestrial bodies should be cross-calibrated using a
common suite of relevant materials. Such work is necessary to improve instrument …

A conspicuous biomorphic ovoid structure has been discovered in the Nakhla martian
meteorite, made of nanocrystalline iron-rich saponitic clay and amorphous material. The …