Extractor for Chemical Analysis of Lipid Biomarkers in Regolith (ExCALiBR)

The analysis of lipid biomarkers has gained increasing importance within environmental and archaeological fields because biomarkers are representative of plant and animal sources. Proven gold standard laboratory techniques for lipid biomarker extraction are laborious, with many opportunities for human error. As a solution, NASA Ames Research Center has developed a novel technology that provides an autonomous, miniaturized fluidic system for lipid analysis. The technology, in a single instrument, can accept an unprocessed soil, rock, or ice sample, comminute the sample, extract lipids via sonication and blending, filter out mineral residue, concentrate the analyte, and deliver the aliquot to downstream analytical instruments for molecular characterization, without requiring intervention from a human operator.