{"paper":{"title":"A framework for evaluating biosignature potential against the abiotic baseline on ocean worlds","license":"http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/","headline":"Uncertainties in abiotic processes prevent definitive biosignature detection from isotopic measurements on Enceladus.","cross_cats":[],"primary_cat":"astro-ph.EP","authors_text":"Barbara Sherwood Lollar, Charles S. Cockell, Lucas M. Fifer, Oliver Warr, Peter M. Higgins, Wanying Kang, Weibin Chen","submitted_at":"2026-05-14T19:00:57Z","abstract_excerpt":"Ocean worlds are considered as targets for life detection missions because they meet several key requirements for habitability. However, identifying potential life on other worlds requires observing clear and unambiguous biosignature signals above the existing abiotic baseline. Consequently, this necessitates evaluating uncertainty and variability in the abiotic baseline, including processes that can overlap, attenuate, or obfuscate biosignatures before they are observed. This article develops a quantitative framework for holistically evaluating abiotic baselines on ocean worlds to guide life "},"claims":{"count":4,"items":[{"kind":"strongest_claim","text":"uncertainties in abiotic processes currently prevent hypothetical future δ¹³C_CO2 and δ¹³C_CH4 measurements from definitively inferring a biosphere on Enceladus.","source":"verdict.strongest_claim","status":"machine_extracted","claim_id":"C1","attestation":"unclaimed"},{"kind":"weakest_assumption","text":"That existing models of abiotic processes on Enceladus are adequate to quantify baseline uncertainties and overlaps with potential biosignatures, as required for the assessment of isotopic and chiral signals.","source":"verdict.weakest_assumption","status":"machine_extracted","claim_id":"C2","attestation":"unclaimed"},{"kind":"one_line_summary","text":"A quantitative framework is introduced to evaluate biosignature potential against abiotic baselines on ocean worlds, demonstrating that uncertainties prevent definitive life inference from isotopes or chirality on Enceladus and highlighting risks of false negatives.","source":"verdict.one_line_summary","status":"machine_extracted","claim_id":"C3","attestation":"unclaimed"},{"kind":"headline","text":"Uncertainties in abiotic processes prevent definitive biosignature detection from isotopic measurements on Enceladus.","source":"verdict.pith_extraction.headline","status":"machine_extracted","claim_id":"C4","attestation":"unclaimed"}],"snapshot_sha256":"8a26b3aabf007d4b21f75427d508134b7458e3b81c075af397634bc4e2916a68"},"source":{"id":"2605.15337","kind":"arxiv","version":1},"verdict":{"id":"874a49b7-4005-4a17-a635-f58c2084acae","model_set":{"reader":"grok-4.3"},"created_at":"2026-05-19T15:31:03.959771Z","strongest_claim":"uncertainties in abiotic processes currently prevent hypothetical future δ¹³C_CO2 and δ¹³C_CH4 measurements from definitively inferring a biosphere on Enceladus.","one_line_summary":"A quantitative framework is introduced to evaluate biosignature potential against abiotic baselines on ocean worlds, demonstrating that uncertainties prevent definitive life inference from isotopes or chirality on Enceladus and highlighting risks of false negatives.","pipeline_version":"pith-pipeline@v0.9.0","weakest_assumption":"That existing models of abiotic processes on Enceladus are adequate to quantify baseline uncertainties and overlaps with potential biosignatures, as required for the assessment of isotopic and chiral signals.","pith_extraction_headline":"Uncertainties in abiotic processes prevent definitive biosignature detection from isotopic measurements on Enceladus."},"integrity":{"clean":true,"summary":{"advisory":0,"critical":0,"by_detector":{},"informational":0},"endpoint":"/pith/2605.15337/integrity.json","findings":[],"available":true,"detectors_run":[{"name":"doi_title_agreement","ran_at":"2026-05-19T16:01:18.135217Z","status":"completed","version":"1.0.0","findings_count":0},{"name":"doi_compliance","ran_at":"2026-05-19T15:41:05.029845Z","status":"completed","version":"1.0.0","findings_count":0},{"name":"claim_evidence","ran_at":"2026-05-19T14:41:54.186549Z","status":"completed","version":"1.0.0","findings_count":0},{"name":"ai_meta_artifact","ran_at":"2026-05-19T13:33:22.758349Z","status":"skipped","version":"1.0.0","findings_count":0}],"snapshot_sha256":"9621a3be22546b902af2b05bb05cfd4f800d47f36656238d8f483df44b8020d9"},"references":{"count":12,"sample":[{"doi":"10.1038/s41550-021-01372-6","year":2009,"title":"Cometary. CH4 and methanol make up the bulk of organic material in the ices of molecular clouds which formed the solar system bodies89, so may have been trapped in clathrates in the planetesimals that","work_id":"6d3d85a4-31b2-413e-b6fb-a9a531635317","ref_index":1,"cited_arxiv_id":"","is_internal_anchor":false},{"doi":"10.1144/jgs2021-134","year":2017,"title":"Biosignature Threshold","work_id":"ec1e3ff9-2f97-4bf5-83d1-f34641cb5ada","ref_index":2,"cited_arxiv_id":"","is_internal_anchor":false},{"doi":"10.1016/j.icarus.2020.114248","year":2019,"title":"Khawaja, N. et al. Low-mass nitrogen-, oxygen-bearing, and aromatic compounds in Enceladean ice grains. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 489, 5231–5243 (2019). 25. Waite, J. H. et al.","work_id":"6b3e49b3-c28e-4932-b683-b380ea691945","ref_index":3,"cited_arxiv_id":"","is_internal_anchor":false},{"doi":"","year":1999,"title":"Horita, J. & Berndt, M. E. Abiogenic Methane Formation and Isotopic Fractionation Under Hydrothermal Conditions. Science 285, 1055–1057 (1999). 37. Taran, Y . A., Kliger, G. A., Cienfuegos, E. & Shuyk","work_id":"2d47526f-21cb-4919-989a-caff8ebbec94","ref_index":4,"cited_arxiv_id":"","is_internal_anchor":false},{"doi":"10.2458/azu_uapress_9780816537075-ch003","year":2018,"title":"Glein, C. R., Postberg, F . & Vance, S. D. The Geochemistry of Enceladus: Composition and Controls. in Enceladus and the Icy Moons of Saturn (eds Schenk, P . M., Clark, R. N., Howett, C. J. A., Verbis","work_id":"99bdf47b-b89a-4bbb-83aa-aa81e0ce69b0","ref_index":5,"cited_arxiv_id":"","is_internal_anchor":false}],"resolved_work":12,"snapshot_sha256":"21fc0933670e3957cd808a503ce61557606802fb4f7e42f91ab63dd7d5d13d9a","internal_anchors":0},"formal_canon":{"evidence_count":2,"snapshot_sha256":"8762a3f2699b8e2d0976caf9edff653f63826e0bb463fda3f90878a458e2d8fe"},"author_claims":{"count":0,"strong_count":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"builder_version":"pith-number-builder-2026-05-17-v1"}