Workshop

Astrobiology Expeditions 2002

St. Petersburg, Russia

March 25 - 29, 2002

 SESSION 1. Introduction of the Russian Astrobiology Center

9:30-9:45

 SESSION 2. Origin and  Early Evolution of Planetary Atmospheres

9:45-10:30  

Café break, registration 10:30-11:30 

11:30-12:15

2. Evolution of the Earth atmosphere. Archean climate and atmospheric chemistry

Dr. Alexander A. Pavlov , Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado at Boulder, USA

12:15-12:30  

3. Physical Evolution of the Biosphere

Vladimir F. Levchenko I.M.Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry. Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 194223, Russia. Phone/Fax: +7 812 5523219; E-mail: lew@lew.spb.org, lew@iephb.nw.ru, http://www.iephb.nw.ru/labs/lab38/

Lunch 12:30-14:00  

 SESSION 5. Early Earth – in Transition

14:00-14:45  

1. Paleoproterozoic carbon isotope excursion and organic carbon burial

Juha A. Karhu, Department of Geology, P.O. BOX 64, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland

14:45-15:30  

2.Transition of the terrestrial atmosphere from anoxic to oxic via non-mass-dependent sulfur isotopes signals from in-situ measurements of Precambrian (1.8 – 3.84 Ga) sedimentary sulfides

S. J. Mojzsis, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0399 USA, smojzsis@colorado.edu

15:30-15:45

3.  Shungite rocks of Karelia as a model of carbon hondrites formation

Zhmur S.I., Institute of the Lithosphere of Marginal Seas, RAS,  Moscow, Russia

15.45-16.00  

4.Volatile components in Karelian shungites as indicators of composition of Protherozoic atmosphere

K.I. Lokhov  (Center of Isotopic Research VSEGEI (CIR VSEGEI), Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia, St.Petersburg, Russia)

Café break 16:00-16.15

 Session 3. Panspermia

16:15-17:00  

1. Detection of extraterrestrial life: problems and perspectives

Dr. Alexandre Tsapin, Jet Propulsion laboratory/ California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA 91109   USA

17:00-17-15

2. Possible Martian origin of the terrestrial radioresistant microorganisms

A.K.Pavlov (Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute RAS),  , V.L.Kalinin, A.N.Konstantinov, V.N.Shelegedin  (St. Petersburg Technical State University), Russia

17:15-17:30

3. Bacterial paleontology for astrobiology

A.Yu.Rozanov, E.A.Zhegallo, G.T.Ushatinskaya, (Paleontologocal Institute RAS), R.Hoover (Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA)

     

 Session 4. Educational Outreach in Astrobiology (TBA)

9:30-10:00  

1. On the history of astrobiology and of the NAI

D.Morrison, NASA Astrobiology Institute

10:00-10:20  

2. About European astrobiology program

Cockell, C.S., British Antarctic Survey, Madingley Road, Cambridge. CB3 0ET. UK, Tel : + 44 1223 221560. e-mail : csco@bas.ac.uk

 Session 3. Panspermia

10:20-11:05

5.  Habitable Zones and the Number of Habitable Planets in the Milky Way

Siegfried Franck, Werner von Bloh, Christine Bounama, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), PF 601203, 14412 Potsdam, Germany

Café break 11:05-11:20  

11:20-11:35  

6.  Galilean Satellites as Sites for Incipient Life and the Earth as Its Shelter

E.M.Drobyshevski, Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences,194021 St.Petersburg, E-mail: emdrob@pop.ioffe.rssi.ru

11:35-11:50  

7. Non-equilibrium processes of organic substances' synthesis in interstellar gas-dust clouds

V.A.Otroshchenko, A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry RAS, Moscow, V.A.Alekseev, Troitsk Institute for Innovation and Termonuclear Investigation, Troitsk, Moscow region, V.K.Ryabchuk, Institute of Physics of S.-P. State University, Saint-Petersburg

11:50-12:00  

8. Ancient biosphere of space objects as a possible source of origin of life on Earth

Zhmur S.I., Institute of the Lithosphere of Marginal Seas, RAS,  Moscow, Russia

 

 Session 6. Life in Extreme Environments

12:00-12:50  

1. Perennial Antarctic ice: oases for life in a polar desert and models for other worlds

Professor John C. Priscu, Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University at Bozeman

Lunch 12:50-14:15 and excursion in the Isaak Cathedral

9:30-10:15  

2. Genomic and Physiological Studies on Extremophiles: Model Systems for Exobiology

F.T. Robb, COMB/UMBI, R. Nandakumar, J. DiRuggiero Dept of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, M. Schwartz, J. Davila, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD J. Eisen and C. M. Fraser TIGR, Rockville, MD, USA.

10:15-10:30  

2. Cryobiosphere: permafrost model of extraterrestrial microbial habitat

David A. Gilichinsky, Soil Cryology Laboratory, Institute of Physico-Chemical & Biological Problems in Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, RUSSIA

10:30-10:45

3. Active life in permafrost

E. Rivkina (1), K. Laurinavichius (2), D. Gilichinsky (1), V. Shcherbakova (2)

10:45-11:00  

4. Microorganisms into overcooled brines within permafrost: probably model of martian communities

K. Laurinavichius (1), V. Shcherbakova (1), E. Rivkina (2), D. Gilichinsky (2), A. Tsapin (3), K. Nealson (3). (1)  Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, (2)  Institute for Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science. Russian Academy of Sciences, RUSSIA, (3)  JPL, NASA, USA

11:00-11:15  

5.  Life at extreme low humidity

Aksyonov S.I., Biology Department, M.V.Lomonosov Moscow State University

Café break 11:00-11:15

11:15-11:30  

8. Metabolic and phylogenetic diversity of anaerobic thermophilic lithоtrophic prokaryotes

E.A.Bonch-Osmolovskaya, M.L.Miroshnichenko, D.G.Zavarzina, A.I.Slobodkin, T.N.Nazina, N.V.Pimenov, Institute of Microbiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospekt 60 Let Oktyabrya 7/2, 117811, Moscow, Russia

11:30-11:45  

9. Molecular approaches to the investigation of extremophilic microbial communities

N.A.Chernyh, A.V.Lebedinskii, E.A.Bonch-Osmolovskaya, Institute of Microbiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

11:45-12:00  

10. Anaerobic CO-oxidizing, H2-producing prokaryotes from volcanic habitats

T.G.Sokolova,*1 J. González,2 N.A. Kostrikina,1 N.A.Chernyh,1 T.P.Tourova,1  E.A. Bonch-Osmolovskaya,1 and F. Robb.2 , 1 Institute of Microbiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospect 60 Let Oktyabrya, 7/2, 117811, Moscow, Russia. 2 COMB, Columbus Center, 701 E Pratt St., Baltimore MD 21202, USA

12:00-12:15  

11. Relict phototrophic communities of extreme environments

V. M. Gorlenko, Institute of Microbiology RAS, 117811 Moscow, Prospect 60-letiya Oktyabrya, 7 (2), Russia

Lunch 12:15-13:45  

 Session 8. Terrestrial and extraterrestrial impacts and their traces in natural archives

13:45-14:30  

1. Tunguska Class Impacts: Frequency, Physical Nature, and Relation to the Impact Hazard

David Morrison, NASA Astrobiology Institute

14:30-15:15  

2. Biological Recovery at the Site of Impact Craters – Effects of Scaling

Cockell, C.S., British Antarctic Survey, Madingley Road, Cambridge. CB3 0ET. UK, Tel : + 44 1223 221560. e-mail: csco@bas.ac.uk

15:15-15:30  

3. Environmental changes on centennial to millennial time scales from natural archives

V.A.Dergachev, Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Politekhnicheskaya ul. 26, St.Petersburg, 194021, Russia. E-mail: v.dergachev@pop.ioffe.rssi.ru

15:30-15:45  

4. Variability of tree rings as a response to solar cycles and catastrophic events

Yu. Kartavykh (1), N.Lovelius (2). (1) Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute, St-Petersburg, Russia  (2) Botany Institute, St-Petersburg, Russia

Café break, 15:45-16:00

16:00-18:00 Discussion and Planning of Future Fieldtrips (2003) and Open Discussions

16:00-16:15  

1. Experiments and field expeditions to permafrost areas of astrobiological interest

David Gilichinsky

 

 Session 7. The space exobiology experiments

9:30-9:45  

1.  Exobiological investigations onboard MIR station

E. A. Kuzicheva, and N. B. Gontareva, Institute of Cytology, Laboratory of Exobiology, Tikhoretsky pr. 4, 194064, StPetersburg, Russia

9:45-10:00  

2. Molecular synthesis in recombination impact plasma

G.G. Managadze, Institute of Space Research  Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow

10:00-10:15  

3. A possible approach to search the microorganisms in frozen extraterrestrial ground

Elena V. Spirina1, 2, James R. Cole1, 3, Benli Chai1, 3, David A. Gilichinsky2, James M. Tiedje1. 1 Center for Microbial Ecology, Michigan State University, USA, 2 Institute of Physical-Chemical and Biological problems of Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, RUSSIA, 3 Ribosomal Database Project – II, Michigan State University, USA

10:15-10:30  

4.  BIOPAN- 4 project:  “The influence of space environment on the viability of the ancient viable permafrost microbial communities”

A. Kholodov (1), K. Novototskaya, (2), D. Gilichinsky (1), E. Willerslev (3), A. Hansen (3),  (1) Institute for Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, RUSSIA, (2) Faculty of Soil Science, Moscow State University, RUSSIA, (3) Zoological Institute, University of Copenhagen, DENMARK

rest of Session 8. Terrestrial and extraterrestrial impacts and their traces in natural archives

10:30-10:45  

7. On the relationship between cosmic ray intensity and terrestrial climate over centennial time scale

M.G. Ogurtsov, G.E. Kocharov, I.V. Koudriavtsev, A.F. Ioffe PhTI, M.Eronen, H.Jungner, M. Lindholm, University of Helsinki

 

3.  Kamchatka mires as natural archives of the Holocene volcanic impact

N.E. Zaretskaia, O.N. Uspenskaia*, V.V. Ponomareva** Geological Institute of RAS, Moscow, Russia, *“Torfgeologia” Central Expedition, Moscow, Russia, ** Institute of Volcanic Geology and Geochemistry, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Russia

   

4. “STAR KNEADING LIFE” project

Yu.N.Gnedin,Yu.A.Nagovitsyn, E.Yu.Nagovitsyna, E.V.Miletskij, Central astronomical observatory at Pulkovo of RAS

   

5.  Effects and mechanisms in the action of extremely low frequency EMF on biological processes

Aksyonov S.I., Bulychev A.A., Grunina T.Yu., Goryachev S.N., Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University