I am an astrobiologist and geochemist. I study early Earth and Mars-like environments. I am fascinated by how we can recognise life's earliest traces, or lack thereof, here and on other planets.
Keywords
astrobiology, origin of life, early Earth, biosignatures, hot springs, silica sinters, organic molecules, biomineralization, microbes, Mars analogues, Mars missions
Researchinterest
I study how minerals, organic molecules, and microorganisms interact in prebiotic environments, and how they shape the signatures left in rocks. To interpret what rovers find on Mars, we need to know how organic molecules and biosignatures form, survive and change. I explore this in the lab and the field.
During my PhD at Utrecht University, I simulated early Earth and Mars in the laboratory: I tracked how UV light transforms meteoritic organics adsorbed onto clays, measured how strongly organic molecules bind to mineral surfaces, and showed that carbonate-rich ponds shelter amino acids from UV radiation. In Icelandic lava tubes, I found molecular biosignatures preserved in blue copper minerals. At the University of Tuscia (Italy), I studied a Sicilian volcanic lake as an early Earth and Mars analogue, tracking calcium carbonate biomineralization.
Photo: Nina Kopacz
Currenttopics
Within the ERC project PROTOS, I recreate hot spring silica deposits in the lab to learn which patterns can form without life.
PROTOS – The role of silica in the dawn of life on our planet
Hot springs and geysers deposit silica layer by layer, building sinters with intricate fabrics, many of which resemble structures made by microbes. Within the ERC Synergy project PROTOS, I recreate these sinters in a sterile reaction chamber at Utrecht University, with and without organic material. I then examine the resulting fabrics with micro-CT and electron microscopy at Naturalis, to find out which patterns can form without life.
Photo: Dr. Mark van Zuilen
Keypublications
- Zetterlind, A., Kopacz, N., Jumpertz, L., Lagasse De Locht, S., Schneidt, A., Deelen, S., Krijnen, M., van Ingen, H., Hellebrand, E., ten Kate, I.L. (2025). Laboratory simulations of prebiotic ponds to investigate the impact of ultraviolet radiation on glycine dissolved in aqueous solutions. International Journal of Astrobiology, 24, e16.
- Kopacz, N., Corazzi, M.A., Poggiali, G., von Essen, A., Kofman, V., Fornaro, T., van Ingen, H., Camprubi, E., King, H.E., Brucato, J., ten Kate, I.L. (2023). The photochemical evolution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nontronite clay on early Earth and Mars. Icarus, 394, 115437.
- Kopacz, N., Csuka, J., Baqué, M., Iakubivskyi, I., Guðlaugardóttir, H., Klarenberg, I.J., Ahmed, M., Zetterlind, A., Singh, A., ten Kate, I.L., Hellebrand, E., Stockwell, B.R., Stefánsson, Á.B., Vilhelmsson, O., Neubeck, A., Schnürer, A., Geppert, W. (2022). A study in blue: secondary copper-rich minerals and their associated bacterial diversity in Icelandic lava tubes. Earth and Space Science, 9(5), e2022EA002234.
In themedia
In November 2023, Forbes interviewed me for the article "Astrobiologists head underground to learn how to look for life on Mars" by Bruce Dorminey (11 November 2023). It describes how lava tubes and cave minerals on Earth help us understand where, and how, to look for signs of life on Mars.
Read the article on Forbes.com
Photo: Agustín Martínez
Currenttopics
