V. K. Pearson
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View article: Water-group ion irradiation studies of Enceladus ice analogues: Can radiolysis account for material in and around the south polar plume?
Water-group ion irradiation studies of Enceladus ice analogues: Can radiolysis account for material in and around the south polar plume? Open
Saturn’s magnetosphere contains trapped plasma and energetic charged particles which constantly irradiate the surface of Enceladus. In this study, we exposed Enceladean surface ice analogues containing Hsub2/subO, COsub2/sub, CHsub4/sub, a…
View article: Water-Group Ion Irradiation Studies of Enceladus Surface Analogues
Water-Group Ion Irradiation Studies of Enceladus Surface Analogues Open
IntroductionSaturn’s magnetosphere contains trapped plasma and energetic charged particles which constantly irradiate the surface of Enceladus. The plasma consists of a variety of charged particles including water-group ions (O+, OH+, H2O+…
View article: Size-Dependent Composition of Ice Grains Relevant to Salt-Rich Particles in the Plumes of Enceladus
Size-Dependent Composition of Ice Grains Relevant to Salt-Rich Particles in the Plumes of Enceladus Open
BackgroundThe plumes of Saturn’s moon Enceladus emit water vapour and ice grains from cracks in the ice shell, fed by vents that transport subsurface ocean material upwards to the surface [1]. These ice grains have varied compositions, but…
View article: Experimental Simulation of Europan Seafloor Hydrothermal Systems
Experimental Simulation of Europan Seafloor Hydrothermal Systems Open
Introduction: Jupiter’s moon Europa is proposed to host a global liquid water ocean that is in contact with a silicate interior (Sotin et al., 2009). Similar to Earth’s oceans, water-rock reactions at Europa’s seafloor may produce habitabl…
View article: Accreted volatiles influence low-temperature rock equilibria on Europa
Accreted volatiles influence low-temperature rock equilibria on Europa Open
View article: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in terrestrial extreme environments: implications for life detection beyond Earth
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in terrestrial extreme environments: implications for life detection beyond Earth Open
This review highlights how discovering and analysing VOCs in extreme environments on Earth can help identify biosignatures and unravel complex patterns in metabolic data that could help identify life on other planetary bodies.
View article: An inorganic silicate simulant to represent the interior of enceladus
An inorganic silicate simulant to represent the interior of enceladus Open
Enceladus, an icy moon of Saturn, consists of an ice shell, global subsurface ocean and a silicate interior. By sampling plume material, the Cassini spacecraft found evidence of ongoing water-rock reactions between the silicate interior an…
View article: SOPHIA: A mineralogical simulant for phyllosilicate terrains at the Rosalind Franklin landing site, Oxia Planum, Mars
SOPHIA: A mineralogical simulant for phyllosilicate terrains at the Rosalind Franklin landing site, Oxia Planum, Mars Open
View article: Geochemical bio-signatures in Martian analogue basaltic environments using laboratory experiments and thermochemical modelling
Geochemical bio-signatures in Martian analogue basaltic environments using laboratory experiments and thermochemical modelling Open
The identification of geochemical bio-signatures is important for assessing whether life existed on early Mars. In this paper, experimental microbiology and thermochemical modelling were combined to identify potential inorganic bio-signatu…
View article: VIEWS OF INCLUSION ACROSS TIME AND SPACE: FIVE YEARS OF PERSPECTIVES FROM UNIVERSITY TUTORS ON ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSION
VIEWS OF INCLUSION ACROSS TIME AND SPACE: FIVE YEARS OF PERSPECTIVES FROM UNIVERSITY TUTORS ON ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSION Open
VIEWS OF INCLUSION ACROSS TIME AND SPACE: FIVE YEARS OF PERSPECTIVES FROM UNIVERSITY TUTORS ON ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSION
View article: Assessing the potential composition of Europa’s subsurface ocean from water-rock interactions.
Assessing the potential composition of Europa’s subsurface ocean from water-rock interactions. Open
<p><strong>Introduction:</strong> Constraining the composition of Europa’s ocean is critical to understanding whether it could support microbial life, and provides an insight into the satellite’s evolu…
View article: Thermochemical modelling of the ocean composition of Enceladus from ocean floor to outer space
Thermochemical modelling of the ocean composition of Enceladus from ocean floor to outer space Open
<p>Enceladus, an icy moon of Saturn, is a potentially habitable environment. Its South Polar Region hosts active plumes that eject material from the subsurface into space. Plume material was analysed by the Cassini spacecraft, which …
View article: Exploring Europa&#8217;s biological potential using machine learning and laboratory simulations
Exploring Europa’s biological potential using machine learning and laboratory simulations Open
<p><strong>Introduction</strong></p> <p>Icy moons of the giant planets contain liquid water oceans where habitability is feasible. A prime example is Jupiter’s moon, Europa, which could contain multi…
View article: Hypervelocity impact studies on Enceladus analogue ices
Hypervelocity impact studies on Enceladus analogue ices Open
<p>Enceladus is an icy moon of Saturn, with a surface composed predominantly of water ice [1]. It has large water vapour plumes, which eject icy grains and volatiles from its subsurface ocean into space [1]. The presence of a subsurf…
View article: Western Sahara salt plains as a potential novel Mars analogue
Western Sahara salt plains as a potential novel Mars analogue Open
<p>The identification of novel terrestrial sites that are analogous for other planetary bodies is an active area of research within astrobiology, because of the logistical and financial difficulties in obtaining extraterrestrial samp…
View article: Impact generated modification of the mineralogy at Oxia Planum&#160;
Impact generated modification of the mineralogy at Oxia Planum  Open
<p> Phyllosilicate minerals have been detected at Oxia Planum, the ExoMars landing site, which indicate this area has been subject to aqueous activity during the Noachian [1,2,3]. The aim of the ExoMars rover mission is to s…
View article: Inclusion in Uncertain Times: Changes in Practices, Perceptions, and Attitudes around Accessibility and Inclusive Practice in Higher Education
Inclusion in Uncertain Times: Changes in Practices, Perceptions, and Attitudes around Accessibility and Inclusive Practice in Higher Education Open
Accessibility, inclusive teaching, and student support are multi-faceted; they are dependent on wider institutional factors, such as leadership, resource, systems, and culture. To be truly inclusive requires a whole institution approach, w…
View article: Oligotrophic Growth of Nitrate-Dependent Fe2+-Oxidising Microorganisms Under Simulated Early Martian Conditions
Oligotrophic Growth of Nitrate-Dependent Fe2+-Oxidising Microorganisms Under Simulated Early Martian Conditions Open
Nitrate-dependent Fe 2+ oxidation (NDFO) is a microbially mediated process observed in many anaerobic, low-nutrient (oligotrophic) neutral–alkaline environments on Earth, which describes oxidation of Fe 2+ to Fe 3+ in tandem with microbial…
View article: Development of Enceladus ice analogues for in situ analysis
Development of Enceladus ice analogues for in situ analysis Open
IntroductionThe surface of Enceladus could provide one of the best places in our Solar System to investigate the potential for life. Material from plumes seen emanating from Enceladus' South Polar Region[1], which are believed to be source…
View article: Exploring the environments of Martian impact‐generated hydrothermal systems and their potential to support life
Exploring the environments of Martian impact‐generated hydrothermal systems and their potential to support life Open
Hydrothermal systems that formed as a result of impact events possess all the key requirements for life: liquid water, a supply of bio‐essential elements, and potential energy sources. Therefore, they are prime locations in the search for …
View article: EPSC 2020 Planetary Science Wiki Edit-a-thon
EPSC 2020 Planetary Science Wiki Edit-a-thon Open
<p><strong>Background</strong></p><p>Wikipedia is an open source, web-based encyclopedia, allowing anonymous and registered users to create, edit and improve articles. A survey in 2018 showed that as many as 9…
View article: Planetary Protection in the New Space Era: Science and Governance
Planetary Protection in the New Space Era: Science and Governance Open
Committee of Space Research’s Planetary Protection Policy is a triumph of technocratic governance in the global sphere. The Policy is produced by a group of scientific experts and subsequently enjoys high regard among the scientific and sp…
View article: Openness and collaboration in astrobiology education
Openness and collaboration in astrobiology education Open
Evidence from public engagement activities shows that young people are fascinated by the possibility of life existing beyond the Earth, and that teachers draw on the latest evidence and thinking in their teaching to illuminate existing cur…
View article: Preservation and Detection of Lipid Biomarkers within Martian Sulfates
Preservation and Detection of Lipid Biomarkers within Martian Sulfates Open
The environmental conditions on present-day Mars are detrimental for life as we know it; however cumulative evidence suggests that early Noachian Mars (~ 4 billion Ga) had a warmer climate with a denser atmosphere1 capable of supporting su…
View article: Thermochemical modelling of the subsurface environment of Enceladus to derive potential carbon reaction pathways
Thermochemical modelling of the subsurface environment of Enceladus to derive potential carbon reaction pathways Open
IntroductionThe subsurface environment of Enceladus is potentially habitable: there is a global subsurface ocean [1], energy from hydrothermal activity [2] and bioessential elements [3]. Carbon, as a fundamental bioessential element, is cr…
View article: Modelling the survival of ejected martian biomarkers impacting Phobos
Modelling the survival of ejected martian biomarkers impacting Phobos Open
Motivation and ApproachPhobos’ proximity to Mars and short orbital period has led to the hypothesis that Phobos could sweep up particles ejected from large impacts on the martian surface [1]; models suggest that Phobos’ regolit…
View article: Using supervised machine learning methods to improve the selection of analogue sites for studying habitability of the sub-surface ocean of Europa
Using supervised machine learning methods to improve the selection of analogue sites for studying habitability of the sub-surface ocean of Europa Open
IntroductionOwing to the limited amount of data from other planetary bodies in our Solar System, terrestrial analogues are frequently used to further the understanding of extraterrestrial environments. One of the moons of Jupiter, Europa h…
View article: Synthesis of Organosilicon Ligands for Europium (III) and Gadolinium (III) as Potential Imaging Agents
Synthesis of Organosilicon Ligands for Europium (III) and Gadolinium (III) as Potential Imaging Agents Open
The relaxivity of MRI contrast agents can be increased by increasing the size of the contrast agent and by increasing concentration of the bound gadolinium. Large multi-site ligands able to coordinate several metal centres show increased r…
View article: The identification of sulfide oxidation as a potential metabolism driving primary production on late Noachian Mars
The identification of sulfide oxidation as a potential metabolism driving primary production on late Noachian Mars Open
View article: Simulating microbial processes in extraterrestrial, aqueous environments
Simulating microbial processes in extraterrestrial, aqueous environments Open