Stability of uracil in different sulphates under Martian-like UV irradiation — E8 Intelligence Research

Mars is one of the most probable and accessible places where life could have evolved beyond Earth. Searching for biosignatures, such as organic molecules directly or indirectly related to life, has become one of the main goals of the exploration programs on Mars. However, the occurrence of organic molecules on Mars nowadays is scarce. Among the different degradation factors of the current Martian environment, ultraviolet (UV) radiation is especially harmful as it can promote the degradation of organic molecules in a few hours. In this context, minerals may play a significant role by photoprotecting or photocatalizing the degradation of organic molecules. In this work, the effect of different sulphates (Na2SO4, MgSO4·6H2O, CaSO4·xH2O and FeSO4·xH2O) on the preservation of the nucleobase, uracil, against Martian-like UV radiation was studied. The UV radiation studies showed that all the sulphates pres Author: Andrew Stewart Caldin, Independent Researcher, UK. Part of the E8 Intelligence Research series. Platform: e8intelligence.com