The potential of Methanogenic Life in the Solar System

Methanogens from the domain Archaea are obligate anaerobic chemolithoautotrophs or chemolithoheterotrophs producing methane (CH4). For the CH4-production they primarily use various C1 typecompounds (like carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), formate (HCO‑ 2)), but some strains are also able to utilize methanol (CH3OH), acetate, or even methylsulfides for energy production. The capability of methanogens thriving under various extreme environments on Earth is astonishing. Their enormous diversity and the similarity between their growth conditions and the environmental conditions on extraterrestrial bodies throughout the Solar System make methanogens to an ideal test object for astrobiological experiments.