Speaker
Description
Extremophilic microorganisms from Arctic environments provide valuable terrestrial analogues for investigating potential biosignatures relevant to planetary exploration. In this study, soil samples collected from pristine areas of Svalbard were processed to isolate and cultivate microorganisms under laboratory conditions. Soil suspensions were inoculated onto Petri dishes and incubated until microbial colonies reached a minimum diameter of approximately 5 mm. The resulting colonies were analyzed using a 12-channel spectral imaging system covering the 400–1000 nm range. Relative reflectance spectra were compared to identify spectral differences between microbial colonies and assess the potential of non-invasive optical imaging for biofilm characterization.
The study demonstrates the potential of spectral imaging for detecting and differentiating biological material originating from extreme terrestrial environments. This approach may contribute to the development of remote biosignature detection methods for planetary analogue studies and future robotic exploration of Mars and other planetary bodies.