All of the different life on Earth is
because of the complexity of genetics, the way life metabolizes, and the
environment that it lives in. For a long time our environment has been
dominated by microorganisms and subjected to their metabolism and evolution.
The different environments posed novel evolutionary challenges to the organisms
present which results in the formation of our planet's animal and plant
species. Thus the co-evolution between organisms and their environment is an
inherent feature of living systems.
Life can survive, and can even
be comfortable under brutal conditions on Earth. Some only can survive in
highly acidic environments due to acid mine drainage. Evolution has enabled
microbes to cope with this wide variety of physical and chemical conditions
because of similar molecular structures. An understanding of the tenacity and
versatility of life on Earth as well as knowing the molecular systems that some
organisms use to survive these extreme conditions will provide a much needed
foundation for the search for extraterrestrials. They will provide the baseline
for a hypothesis about life outside of the Earth.
The evolution of biogeochemical
processes, genomes, and microbial communities has created the complex and
wildness of the modern biosphere. Unfortunately we lack a basic understanding
of how evolutionary things like mutation, selection, and genetic drift operate
in microorganisms that act on changing microenvironments. Scientist will begin
to conduct an understanding of the evolution of biochemical and metabolic
machinery that drives the global cycles of elements and the potential and
limitations to evolution.
Microbes serve as highly
advanced experimental systems for biochemical, genetic, and genomic studies.
This amount of information and experimental tools available provides a grand
opportunity for experimental studies to be conducted. These studies will
uncover the basic principles of molecular, cellular and community levels with
relevance to Earth and to other planets.
Continued exploration of the
Earth has led to multiple discoveries of life in environments that were thought
to be uninhabitable. Life has evolved strategies that enable it to survive
beyond physical/chemical limitations. Organisms can assume forms that allow
them to withstand freezing temperatures, starvation, and even high levels of
radiation. They can survive these conditions for centuries if necessary.
Scientists are striving to find the limits for growth and to understand the
molecular mechanisms that define these limits. Widening our knowledge both of
the range of inhabitable environments and the adaptation to these habitats will
be valuable to understand how life could have established itself and survive
beyond Earth.
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