Abstract:
The emerging understanding of microbial trace gas chemotrophy as a metabolic strategy to support energy and
carbon acquisition for microbial survival and growth has significant implications in the search for past, and even
extant, life beyond Earth. The use of trace gases, including hydrogen and carbon monoxide as substrates for
microbial oxidation, potentially offers a viable strategy with which to support life on planetary bodies that
possess a suitable atmospheric composition, such as Mars and Titan. Here, we discuss the current state of
knowledge of this process and explore its potential in the field of astrobiological exploration.
