Memorial University of Newfoundland

Published purpose

Water rock reaction, known as serpentinization, has the potential to support life on other worlds (planets and moons), by providing energy. Detecting life at sites of serpentinization on other worlds requires the ability to find serpentinization sites and detect biosignatures, i.e. select investigation sites that have present/past conditions that are/were favourable to support life. This project aims to study life's signatures (i.e. its isotopic and molecular imprints, and its interaction with the environment) at sites of serpentinization and to contribute that knowledge to a joint international proposal whose purpose is to develop a remote sensing method for detecting habitable sites of serpentinization. This project will result in scientific knowledge of life's biosignatures at active serpentinized springs and preservation of life's biosignatures in inactive serpentinized springs, while contributing to the technological development of an algorithm for detecting serpentinized springs using machine learning and remote sensing data collected from satellites and drones.