Abstract
The Labeled Release extraterrestrial life detection experiment onboard the Viking spacecraft is described as it will be implemented on the surface of Mars in 1976. This experiment is designed to detect heterotrophic life by supplying a dilute solution of radioactive organic substrates to a sample of Martian soil and monitoring for evolution of radioactive gas. A significantly attenuated response by a heat-sterilized control sample of the same soil would confirm a positive metabolic response. Experimental assumptions as well as criteria for the selection of organic substrates are presented. The Labeled Release nutrient has been widely tested, is versatile in eliciting terrestrial metabolic responses, and is stable to heat sterilization and to the long-term storage required before its use on Mars. A testing program has been conducted with flight-like instruments to acquire science data relevant to the interpretation of the Mars experiment. Factors involved in the delineation of a positive result are presented and the significance of the possible results discussed.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Anderson, D. M., Biemann, K., Orgel, L. E. Oro, J., Owen, T., Schulman, G. P., Toulmin, P., III, and Urey, H. C.: 1971,Icarus 16, 111.
Buvet, R. and Ponnamperuma, C. (eds.): 1971,Chemical Evolution and the Origin of Life, North-Holland Publishing Co., Amsterdam.
Cameron, R. E. and Merek, E. L.: 1971, Technical Report 32-1522, National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Conrath, B., Curran, R., Hanel, R., Kunde, V., Maguire, W., Pearl, J., and Pirraglia, J., and Welker, J.: 1973,J. Geophys. Res. 78, 4267.
Crowe, J. H. and Cooper, A. F.: 1971,Sci. Amer. 225 (6), 30.
Dixon, M., and Webb, E. C.: 1958,Enzymes, Academic Press, New York.
Goldacre, R.: 1952,Internat. Rev. Cyt. 1, 135.
Hall, D. O., Cammack, R., and Rao, K. K.: 1971Nature 233, 136.
Hanel, R., Conrath, B., Hovis, W., Kunde, V., Lowman, P., Maguire, W., Pearl, J., Pirraglia, J., Prabhakara, C., Schlachman, B., Levin, G., Straat, P., and Burke, T.: 1972,Icarus 17, 423.
Hills, G. M.: 1949,Biochem. J. 45, 363.
Horowitz, N. H., Cameron, R. E., and Hubbard, J. S.: 1972,Science 176, 242.
Horowitz, N. H., Hubbard, J. S., and Hobby, G. L.: 1972,Icarus 16, 147.
Hubbard, J. S.: 1976, this issue, p. 281.
Hubbard, J. S., Hardy, J. P., and Horowitz, N. H.: 1971,Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., U.S. 68, 574.
Klein, H. P.: 1974,Origins of Life 5, 431.
Klein, H. P.: 1976, this issue, p. 273.
Klein, H. P., Lederberg, J., Rich, A., Horowitz, N. H., Oyama, V. I. and Levin, G. V.: 1976,Nature, in press.
Krash, B. J.: 1961, in Halvorson, H. O. (ed.),Spores II, Burgess Publ. Co., Minnesota, p. 89.
Kvenvolden, K., Lawless, J., Pering, K., Peterson, E., Flores, J., Ponnamperuma, C., Kaplan, I. R., and Moore, C.: 1970,Nature 228, 923.
Leovy, C. B., Briggs, G. A., Young, A. T., Smith, B. A., Pollack, J. B., Shipley, E. N., and Wildey, R. L.: 1972,Icarus 17, 373.
Levin, G. V.: 1959,Method of Making Bacteriological Determinations, U.S. Patent No. 2,914,447.
Levin, G. V.: 1963,Adv. App. Microbiol. 5, Academic Press, Inc., New York, p. 95.
Levin, G. V.: 1966, in Dempsey, J. C. and Polishuk, P. (eds.),Radioisotopes for Aerospace, Part II: Systems and Applications, Plenum Press, New York, p. 347.
Levin, G. V.: 1968,Adv. App. Microbiol. 10, Academic Press, Inc., New York, p. 55.
Levin, G. V.: 1972,Icarus 16, 153.
Levin, G. V. and Carriker, A. W.: 1962,Nucleonics 20, 71.
Levin, G. V. and Perez, G. R.: 1967,Search for Extraterrestrial Life 22, Advances in Asronautical Science Series, American Astronautical Society, Publications Office, Tarzana, California.
Levin, G. V., Harrison, V. R., and Hess, W. C.: 1956,J. Am. Water Works Assoc. 48, 75.
Levin, G. V., Heim, A. H., Clendenning, J. R., and Thompson, M. F.: 1962),Science 138, 114.
Levin, G. V., Horowitz, N. H., Heim, A. H., and Thompson, M. J.: 1964,Radioisotopic Biochemical Probe for Extraterrestrial Life, Third Annual Progress Report, Contract No. NASr-10, Resources Research, Inc. Washington.
Levin, G. V. Shaheen, D. G., Lindgren, W. A., and Rich, E.: 1970,The Detection of Metabolism, Presented at Intern. Congr. Microbiology, Mexico City, August 1970.
Ling, R. N. and Walton, C. L.: 1976,Science 191, 293.
Miller, S. L. and Urey, H. C.: 1959,Science,130, 245.
Newton, J. W.: 1970,Nature 228, 1100.
O'Connor, R. J. and Halvorson, H. O.: 1961,J. Bacteriology 82, 706.
Oyama, V. I.: 1972,Icarus 16, 167.
Oyama, V. I., Berdahl, B. J., Carle, G. C., Lehwalt, M. E., and Ginoza, H. S.: 1976, this issue, p. 313.
Peck, H. D., Jr.: 1966–67,Some Evolutionary Aspects of Inorganic Sulfur Metabolism, Lecture on Theoretical and Applied Aspects of Modern Microbiology, University of Maryland.
Postgate, J.: 1970,Nature,226, 978.
Robinson, J. R.: 1954,Symp. Soc. Exp. Biol. VIII, Academic Press, New York, p. 42.
Robinson, J. R.: 1956,J. Physiol. 134, 1.
Sagan, C., Toon, O. B., and Gierasch, P. J.: 1973,Science 181, 1045.
Schmidt, C. F.: 1958, in Halvorson, H. O. (ed.),Spores, Amer Inst. Biol. Sci., Washington, p. 56.
Stanier, R. Y., Doudoroff, M., and Adelberg, E. A.: 1963,The Microbial World, Second Edition, Prentice-Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs.
Stephenson, M.: 1949,Bacterial Metabolism, Third Edition, Longmans, Green and Co., New York.
Straat, P. A.: 1972Methods Manual for VM1 Preparation, Contract No. GD2-010009 (Martin-Marietta) Biospherics, Inc., Rockville, Maryland.
Straat, P. A.: 1972,VM1 Preparation Manual, Contract No. GD2-010009 (Martin-Marietta), Biospherics, Inc., Rockville, Maryland.
Straat, P. A.: 1975,L. R. Nutrient Stability Testing, Final Report, Contract No. GD2-010009 (Martin-Marietta), Biospherics, Inc., Rockville, Maryland.
Straat, P. A., and Levin, G. V.: 1971,IRIS Biological Experiments, November Progress Report, Contract No. NAS5-11294, Biospherics Inc., Rockville, Maryland.
Straat, P. A., Levin, G. V., and Lowman, P. D., Jr.: 1974,Mariner 9: Prelude to First Field Test of General Theory of Biology?, X-922-74-310, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland.
Straat, P. A., Levin, G. V., and Vishniac, W.: 1976, manuscript in preparation.
Uehara, M., and Frank, H. A.: 1964, in Campbell, L. L. and Halvorson, H. O. (eds.),Spores III, Burgess Publishing Co., Minnesota, p. 38.
Viking Project Mission to Mars: undated, Viking Project Office, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia.
Wolfgang, R.: 1970,Nature 225, 876.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Levin, G.V., Ann Straat, P. Labeled release — An experiment in radiorespirometry. Origins Life Evol Biosphere 7, 293–311 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00926948
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00926948