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Home , 2019 in science, Breakthrough Starshot, Directed panspermia, TOI 700, TOI 700 d

Physical ︱ Roy Sleator & Niall Smith Directed Synthetic DNA in bioforming

As our technological nter-planetary travel. Terraforming. their atmospheric and surface conditions. advancements continue, Synthetic DNA. These all sound like brings these two focuses scientists are beginning to Iplot points from classic fiction together as researchers look at the origins turn what was novels, but everyday science is closing the of on , as well as looking for into reality. Concepts such as gap between concepts that were once evidence of life on other planets. terraforming and travel between reserved for fantasy and research marking are becoming more the boundaries of development. Prof Roy Sleator is a molecular biologist achievable, giving life to the The idea that humanity might one at the Cork Institute of Technology in dream that one day we might leave Earth and colonise planets across Ireland. He works together with Dr Niall colonise other planets. Directed the is an inspirational dream that Smith, astrophysicist at Blackrock Castle panspermia is one method of is rapidly becoming a reality, thanks to Observatory, and the researchers are altering a hostile, uninhabited the cutting-edge developments across a particularly interested in planets beyond Chances are slim to find a with perfect conditions planet to a more Earth-like to host human life. Therefore, scientists study bioforming: variety of scientific disciplines. our that may support life. As the seeding of a planet with life. environment, and Cork Institute Earth’s population grows and resources of Technology’s Professor Roy One such discipline is astrobiology, which become stretched, scientists are looking Sleator and Dr Niall Smith is the intersection of biology and physics. to both nearby planets and those that planet’s surface, or subjecting a planet to propose that synthetic DNA may The genetic makeup of life on Earth is have been discovered throughout the Scientists could create a synthetic impacts from , is expensive and be the most efficient approach. controlled by the double helix of DNA. galaxy as potential locations for the microbial colonist that would be perfectly itself requires vast resources. It would Since its discovery biologists have been spread of humanity among the stars. also take 1,000 or more for a planet researching exactly how to decode this designed for the environment on such as to warm to a temperature helix to extract the information within to IDENTIFYING similar to . understand how it controls the physical The Earth orbits our at a perfect an . attributes of life. We have successfully distance to support life (the habitable liquid water and would not be capable orbiting their stars within the habitable BIOFORMING A PLANET sequenced our own , and gene zone). There are no extremes of of supporting . Mars perhaps zone that would allow the presence There is an alternative method for altering editing is common within research. temperature, and its location means it holds the most potential as a planet for of liquid water. Most recently, NASA’s a planet’s environment. Prof Sleator Whilst biologists study the microscopic, is neither too hot nor too cold for liquid human habitation, albeit within carefully Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite and Dr Smith suggest that bioforming search for entire planets beyond water, the only planetary body in our controlled artificial environments as its discovered its first Earth-sized planet inside provides a faster alternative for planet- our solar system. As telescope and solar system where this is found. The atmosphere and extreme temperatures a habitable zone, following on from earlier wide alterations. Here, genetically remote sensing techniques improve, they other planets and have been well make it deadly for us to step outside discoveries of Earth-sized planets, such engineered organisms can be introduced can study planetary bodies, identifying studied, but all appear absent of life or without protection. as those in the TRAPPIST-1 system and to an inhospitable planet. These cells findings from the . could gradually modify the surface If the planets within our solar system are While planets that sit inside the habitable environment and atmosphere through Seven Earth-sized planets orbiting in the habitable zone of a that we call TRAPPIST-1. unable to support life, what about planets zone around a star have the potential to processes such as excretion of gases or beyond these limits? In the early 1990s, house environmental conditions ideal for production of whilst utilising the first exoplanet (a planet outside life, the chances of finding a planet that is whatever materials are available on the of our solar system) was confirmed. already perfect for specifically human life planet surface. Ultimately, they could As telescope technology improved, are slim. Terraforming may be the answer create an environment more suitable for scientists have discovered approximately to this problem. complex forms of life and habitable by 4,000 exoplanets within the humans. This seeding of a planet with life galaxy and many more potential planets Terraforming is the artificial shaping and is known as . waiting for confirmation. Scientists are modification of a planet or . The The double helix of DNA controls the analysing the conditions on the surface process aims to alter an inhospitable Molecular biologists are already well genetic makeup of of these planets and their atmospheres, environment so that it can become versed in manipulating DNA in simple life on Earth. hoping to find one that supports a similar habitable for humans. This includes organisms such as and .

​ Shutterstock.com environment to Earth. changing features such as its atmospheric Using various techniques, scientists can chemistry, topography and temperature find specific DNA code inside a cell and TERRAFORMING A PLANET so that it can support Earth life. This level remove or alter it. This enables us to treat Despite this abundance of planets of planetary engineering, for example and prevent diseases, correct genetic

Angel Soler Gollonet/ Soler Angel throughout the galaxy, very few are using orbiting solar mirrors to warm a defects and improve crop yields.

www.researchoutreach.org www.researchoutreach.org Scientists are constantly learning more about the environmental conditions on exoplanets, and as telescope Behind the Research technologies improve, it will be possible to make accurate analyses of the Dotted Yeti/Shutterstock.com atmospheric and surface conditions on distant bodies. Once we know more Prof Roy Dr Niall about a planet, Prof Sleator and Dr Smith propose that simple biological organisms Sleator Smith already found on Earth could be tailored for survival in specific conditions using techniques. There E: [email protected] T: +353 21 4335405 W: www.cit.ie have also been successful examples of In January 2020, NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite discovered its first Earth-sized planet in the completely synthetic DNA made from habitable zone. The find is called TOI 700 d. Research Objectives digitised genome sequences. Whilst scientists are within the earliest stages of Prof Sleator and Dr Smith use approaches to design cells and life forms that could potentially grow and synthetic biology and digitally designing survive on distant planets. a complete microbe, the research team Nanocraft could travel at 20% the speed suggest this method would ultimately of , making the journey to Proxima be the most successful for the creation Detail of the earliest colonisers. Using millions Centauri in just 20 years. of simulations based on the Prof Roy Sleator Bio Dr Niall Smith holds a PhD in known planetary conditions, scientists Centauri is our closest star at 4.2 light by , and Department of Biological Sciences Professor Roy Sleator graduated from from University College Dublin. He is could create a synthetic microbial colonist years from Earth. Its orbiting exoplanet , aims to design Cork Institute of Technology University College Cork with a BSc in Head of Research at CIT and Head of the that would be perfectly designed for the within the habitable zone, called nanocraft capable of crossing vast space Bishopstown, Cork , an MA in Education and Blackrock Castle Observatory. environment on an exoplanet. Proxima b, is a potential candidate distances faster than anything we have Ireland a PhD in . He also holds a DSc (Higher Doctorate) from the planet for colonisation. It would take the so far achieved. At around a centimetre Funding National University of Ireland, a PGCert • The Irish Research Council (IRC) TRAVELLING ACROSS THE STARS probe around 73,000 years to in size, these micro-spacecrafts contain in Bioinformatics from The University of • Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) As a , we are only beginning to arrive at this planet at its current speed. everything required for Manchester and an MBA from Anglia • Department of Agriculture, travel away from our home planet. We including antenna, solar cells and a Ruskin University. Food and the Marine (DAFM) have successfully landed on the Moon, Human ingenuity is constantly expanding radio. They are powered with a lightsail, • The CIT RISAM PhD Scholarship the closest planetary body to us, we are our technological horizons, and Prof a 4-metre sized square that would be Programme just beginning to explore Mars in detail Sleator and Dr Smith propose use of an propelled by Earth-based . These using rovers, and probes have flown past alternative method for interstellar travel. tiny crafts would be capable of travelling at all major planetary bodies. The Voyager The tailored organisms that will begin 20% the , making the journey References Personal Response 1 and 2 probes, launched in the 1970s, bioforming an exoplanet are extremely to in just 20 years. are currently the only man-made objects small in size, visible only with microscopic Sleator, R. and Smith, N. (2019). Terraforming: synthetic to reach interstellar space outside of our equipment. This tiny payload would not PRECIOUS CARGO biology’s final frontier.Archives of Microbiology, 201, 855–862. What first sparked your interest in using synthetic solar system. require a large probe or to Whilst synthetic DNA and tailored biology for bioforming planets? carry it but could arrive at an exoplanet organisms may hold the key to Sleator, R. and Smith, N. (2017). Directed panspermia: a 21st Synthetic biology has provided us with the tools to The distances across space are almost via a nanocraft. The “Breakthrough bioforming planets for human habitation, century perspective. Science Progress, 100(2), 187–193. create life, while advances in propulsion technology and too vast to comprehend. Proxima Starshot” programme, founded in 2016 they also provide an important big space travel allow us to reach farther than we have ever done before. Combining these tools allows us to not only data storage facility. Information can be discover new worlds, but to create them too! digitally broken down into binary code, The “” programme aims to design lightsail nanocraft capable of crossing vast which scientists can then translate into ESO / CC BY distances and carrying DNA across space. the base sequence of DNA using the four DNA bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine MarcelClemens/Shutterstock.com and thymine. It is the sequencing and bonding between these bases that form our unique genetic coding. Converting information into means that DNA can also function as a big data storage medium. 1 kilogram of DNA has the potential to store all the world’s data. This provides us with an alternative information store that could be easily carried across the stars on a nanocraft, perhaps to one day be intercepted by another form of life or to act as a record of humanity long after we are gone.

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