The establishment of the possible presence of life on Mars (past or present) is based on the study of planetary analogues, which allow in situ analysis of the environments in which living organisms adapt to often extreme conditions. Although Mars has been a candidate for hosting life, based on observations made decades ago, it is thanks to the characteristics identified in environments, mainly volcanic, that it has been possible to calibrate instruments and detail the features of the red planet. In this paper, we present a review of the main characteristics of different planetary analogues, particularly deepening the study of Antarctica, to later expose the factors studied in Deception Island that have contributed to considering it as an analogue of Mars from different perspectives. Although geological and geomorphological studies on the analogies of the island already exist, detailed analyses that present the approach of astrobiological analogues are required, thus allowing further research.

Microplastic pollution has become a global environmental challenge, with significant impacts on ecosystems and human health. Microbes have emerged as a promising tool in the combating against microplastic contamination. However, the complex relationship between microbes and microplastics presents both opportunities and challenges, leading to a nuanced understanding of their applications in degradation. This paper provides critical insights into the multifaceted roles of different microorganisms in microplastic degradation. It begins by highlighting the ‘good’ aspects, where several strains of microorganisms show the potential to break down microplastics through enzymatic activities and the formation of biofilms. Conversely, the ‘bad’ aspects of microbial involvement in microplastic degradation are examined. Microorganisms can facilitate the transport and bioaccumulation of microplastics in various ecosystems, potentially exacerbating their harmful effects. The ‘ugly’ side of microplastic degradation includes the production of harmful byproducts during microbial breakdown, raising concerns about secondary pollution and toxicity. The concept of plastisphere is discussed in this context, focusing on the phototrophs, photoheterotrophs and heterotrophs. Novel technologies involving microbial degradation of microplastics are also explained. The work emphasises the need for a comprehensive and balanced approach regarding the application of microorganisms in microplastic degradation and remediation.

Bacteria play an important role in determining the properties and behavior of clay minerals in natural environments and such interactions have great potential for creating stable biofilms and carbon storage sites in soils, but our knowledge of these interactions are far from complete. The purpose of this study was to understand better the effects of bacteria-generated biofilms on clay interlayer expansion. Mixtures of a colloidal, 2-water hectorite clay and Pseudomonas syringae in a minimal media suspension evolve into a polysaccharide-rich biofilm aggregate in time-series experiments lasting up to 1 week. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that upon aggregation, the clay undergoes an initial interlayer contraction. Short-duration experiments, up to 72 h, result in a decrease in the d001 value from 1.50 to 1.26 nm. The initial interlayer contraction is followed in long-duration (up to 1 week) experiments by an expansion of the d001 value of 1.84 nm. The expansion is probably a result of large, biofilm-produced, polymeric molecules being emplaced in the interlayer site. The resultant organo-clay could provide a possible storage medium for carbon in a microbial colony setting.

The built environment contributes to global carbon dioxide emissions with carbon-emitting building materials and construction processes. While achieving carbon-neutral construction is not feasible with conventional construction methods, microbial-based construction processes were suggested over three decades ago to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. With time, questions regarding scaling, predictability, and the applicability of microbial growth and biomass production emerged and still needed to be resolved to allow manufacturing. Within this opinion, we will discuss what can be achieved not to ‘grow a building’ per se but to ‘grow environmentally friendly biocement’. Elaborate pathways leading to the formation of cementitious materials by genetically manipulatable microorganisms have been described so far, providing options to enhance the suitability of these pathways for construction with synthetic biology and bioconvergence. These processes can also be combined with additional beneficial properties of cement-producing organisms, such as antimicrobial properties and carbon fixation by photosynthesis. Therefore, while we cannot yet ‘grow a building’, we can grow and design biocement for the construction industry.

Biofilms, and collections of embedded microbial communities, present structural heterogeneities with functional consequences for important processes, such as transport. The origin of such structures has been unclear. Here, we propose that they can arise as a consequence of diffusive transport limitation. To illustrate, a model allowing internal heterogeneity is developed. Linear analysis is applied to a simplified version of the model suggesting that heterogeneity forms on (or below) the active layer length, a length scale that may not be suitable for homogenization, with non-trivial implications for system scale properties such as reduction in system-wide diffusive transport efficiency. Numerics suggest that the simplified model provides useful insight into behaviour of the full model. We then show examples based on microcolony formation in host domains and argue that internal heterogeneity can be related to community function.

Aspects of the (bio)geochemical cycling of metals (including Fe, Cu, Pb, Zn, Hg, As, Sb, U, Tc, Np) at or near the Earth's surface are discussed with reference to the recent work of the authors. Key stages of the breakdown of metalliferous minerals, transport of metals as solution complexes or colloidal precipitates, and interaction of metals in solution with the surfaces of minerals are considered. Emphasis is on molecular-scale observations using techniques such as scanning probe microscopy, photoelectron and (synchrotron) X-ray spectroscopies. The importance of the biological/mineralogical interface is also emphasized with reference to the bacterial colonization of mineral surfaces and formation of biofilms, and their influence on mineral surface reactivity and flow of fluids through rocks and sediments. Also noted is the importance of relating molecular and micro-scale observations to macroscopic phenomena. Molecular-scale understanding is central to attempts to model many processes of relevance in mineral exploration and exploitation, and in the containment of hazardous wastes and remediation of polluted areas. Mineralogists have a central role to play in the relevant environmental sciences and technologies.

Biofilms are communities of bacteria that exhibit a multitude of multiscale biomechanical behaviours. Recent experimental advances have led to characterisations of these behaviours in terms of measurements of the viscoelastic moduli of biofilms grown in bioreactors and the fracture and fragmentation properties of biofilms. These properties are macroscale features of biofilms; however, a previous work by our group has shown that heterogeneous microscale features are critical in predicting biofilm rheology. In this paper, we use tools from statistical physics to develop a generative statistical model of the positions of bacteria in biofilms. Specifically, the model is a type of pairwise interaction model (PIM). We show through simulation that the macroscopic mechanical properties of biofilms depend on the choice of microscale spatial model. A key finding is that uniform and non-uniform sets of points lead to differing mechanical properties. This distinction appears not to have been previously considered in mathematical biofilm literature. We also found that realisations of a biologically informed PIM have realistic in silico mechanical properties, and have statistical properties that closely match experimental data. We also note that a Poisson spatial point process of suitable number density also yields realistic mechanical properties, but that the spatial distribution of points does not reflect those occurring in our experimentally observed biofilm.

We apply the immersed boundary (or IB) method to simulate deformation and detachment of a periodic array of wall-bounded biofilm colonies in response to a linear shear flow. The biofilm material is represented as a network of Hookean springs that are placed along the edges of a triangulation of the biofilm region. The interfacial shear stress, lift and drag forces acting on the biofilm colony are computed by using fluid stress jump method developed by Williams, Fauci and Gaver [Disc. Con-tin. Dyn. Sys. B 11(2):519–540, 2009], with a modified version of their exclusion filter. Our detachment criterion is based on the novel concept of an averaged equivalent continuum stress tensor defined at each IB point in the biofilm which is then used to determine a corresponding von Mises yield stress; wherever this yield stress exceeds a given critical threshold the connections to that node are severed, thereby signalling the onset of a detachment event. In order to capture the deformation and detachment behaviour of a biofilm colony at different stages of growth, we consider a family of four biofilm shapes with varying aspect ratio. For each aspect ratio, we varied the spacing between colonies to investigate role of spatial clustering in offering protection against detachment. Our numerical simulations focus on the behaviour of weak biofilms (with relatively low yield stress threshold) and investigate features of the fluid-structure interaction such as locations of maximum shear and increased drag. The most important conclusions of this work are: (a) reducing the spacing between colonies reduces drag by from 50 to 100% and alters the interfacial shear stress profile, suggesting that even weak biofilms may be able to grow into tall structures because of the protection they gain from spatial proximity with other colonies; (b) the commonly employed detachment strategy in biofilm models based only on interfacial shear stress can lead to incorrect or inaccurate results when applied to the study of shear induced detachment of weak biofilms. Our detachment strategy based on equivalent continuum stresses provides a unified and consistent IB framework that handles both sloughing and erosion modes of biofilm detachment, and is consistent with strategies employed in many other continuum based biofilm models.

Surface properties affect the attachment of micro- and macroscopic marine organisms. The current study examined the settlement response of the mussel Mytilus coruscus plantigrades to natural biofilms formed on surfaces of different wettability. The percentages of plantigrade settlement were not influenced by the biofilms formed on variously wettable surfaces in the short term, but after 10 days, the plantigrade settlement rates decreased on biofilms formed on lower wettability surfaces. In general, lower wettability of the surfaces resulted in the decrease of the dry weight, bacterial and diatom density and the thickness of natural biofilms when compared to high wettability surfaces. In contrast, chlorophyll-a concentration in biofilms was independent of the initial wettability of the surfaces. Comparative cluster analysis of bacterial denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis patterns revealed that high variability existed between the bacterial community on high wettability surfaces and that on low wettability surfaces. Thus, surface wettability affects the formation of natural biofilms, and this variation in biofilms developed on different wettability surfaces may explain the discrepancy in their corresponding inducing activities on M. coruscus plantigrade settlement. This finding provides new insight into interactions between mussel settlement, biofilm characteristics and surface properties.