SYNBIOSIG · Multiscale investigation of mineral biosignatures with novel and integrated synchrotron approaches

Microorganism are known to trigger or mediate the formation and transformation of different minerals, such as carbonates and silicates. Microbial-mineral interactions potentially generate chemical and structural characteristics in biominerals, which can be preserved deep in time as mineral biosignatures and be explored in the search for life on early Earth or Mars. We plan to investigate signatures of life in Archean, Proterozoic and modern sedimentary structures by integrating chemical, morphological and structural information using a pioneering approach based in laboratory and synchrotron-based advanced imaging methods. Our approach will integrate state-of-art laboratory characterization of geochemistry and mineralogy with mineral and crystallographic textures and ultrastructure in 2D and 3D. It will shed light into the understanding on the biomineralization processes of microbial carbonates and cherts, and provide biological interpretations of relevance to studies on early life on Earth and Mars contexts.