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 June 29, 1999: On May 26, 1999,
astronomer Tony Phillips and his team of Siberian Huskies successfully
mushed to the top of California's White Mountains to retrieve
yeast and other microorganisms left there earlier this year as
part of NASA/Marshall's Life
on the Edge education initiative. The yeast
packets are now on their way to the Marshall Space Flight Center
in Huntsville, Alabama, for testing and distribution to classrooms
around the world.
Right: Phillips and his team of
six sled dogs approach the snow line near 12,000 ft on a blustery
spring day in the White Mountains. Photo Credit: Paul King, BBC
Science Mysteries.
Life on the Edge is a program that aims to teach
grade school students about one of the newest, exciting disciplines
in modern science -- astrobiology and the study of life in extreme
environments.
During the past 20 years, scientists have come to realize that
life can exist in remarkable places such as scalding hot geothermal
vents, Antarctic ice, and even inside a nuclear reactor! The
discovery of "extremophiles," or microbes that thrive
in extreme environments, here on Earth has convinced many scientists
that simple forms of life might one day be found on other planets
in our Solar System that were previously thought to be too hostile
for life as we know it.
 Left: 3rd grade students in Bishop
California demonstrate a Life on the Edge classroom protocol
called Planets in a Bottle.
Many of these exciting developments in astrobiology are relatively
unknown in public schools. Life on the Edge is intended
to remedy that. The basic idea of the program is to expose a
variety of interesting, but benign microbes to real-life harsh
environments on Earth, to retrieve the microbes after a suitable
period of exposure, and finally to distribute them to grade school
classrooms. Students can then perform original experiments on
their microorganisms to evaluate how well they survived their
"ordeal" and to explore which environmental factors
were most important to the health (or demise) of the samples.
"We want the students to be exposed to NASA research, and
to think about issues related to life in extreme environments
that might not otherwise come to light," says Dr. John Horack,
who leads Science Communications at the NASA/Marshall Space Flight
Center and is an Associate Director for the Science and Technology Directorate.
"One example might be the role of water in supporting life.
Liquid water is very important to life forms on Earth, but it
isn't equally abundant on every other planet in the solar system
- if it's even there at all."
Microbes can remain viable in the absence of water (the Surveyor
3 microbes on the Moon are a good
example) but do they mate, divide, and metabolize? Are they really
and truly engaged in the business of "life?" What kinds
of other environments can they survive?
"These are the kinds of questions we want kids to think
about and work through in their own minds," Horack noted.
"And simple dried yeast is an excellent and very safe organism
for these kids to work with and explore."
The program began In January 1999 when 50 pounds
of yeast were delivered to a
summit in California's White Mountains. Conditions there present
severe challenges for most forms of life, so it is a good place
to test the response of microbes to extreme environments.
"Life on the Edge is just getting started,"
continued Horack. "This year we field-tested some of our
ideas in the White Mountains. We had to answer questions like
'Does the yeast canister really establish thermal contact between
the microbes and the ambient environment?' And 'Can we design
a vessel that exposed the microbes to a fuller range of environmental
factors [like wind, humidity, and competition with local life
forms] without the yeast blowing away?'
"Our preliminary feedback from students has been exceptional,
and I expect we'll continue to work in the Whites for years to
come," he continued, "but we'd also like to expand
Life on the Edge to include other places like the Alaskan
tundra, Mono Lake, and even the
South Pole."
 Right: A BBC cameraman takes a breather
at Barcroft Station (12,500 ft) in the White Mountains. Breathing
pure oxygen can briefly ameliorate the symptoms of altitude sickness,
which include headaches, disorientation, and nausea. Photo Credit:
Paul King, BBC Science Mysteries.
When the yeast packets were conveyed to the White Mountains in
early 1999, it was bitterly cold and the snow line was near 9000
ft elevation. When Phillips and his team returned in late May,
a warm La Nina-driven spring had raised the snow line all the
way up to 12,000 ft.
"Spring sledding can be really challenging," said Tony
Phillips. "For one thing, it's warm. Up in the Whites that
means the thermometer's hovering around freezing and it's only
snowing a little bit. Huskies love to pull when the temperature
is about 30 degrees below zero, so a 2000 or 3000 ft ascent
in freezing (32o F) weather was hot work for them."
"The only time they pulled with their usual energy
was when they smelled a marmot. Yellow-bellied marmots are small
(15 - 24 inches long) furry mammals that live in the mountains
all over Central California. They usually hibernate from early
fall until March, then they disappear again in June to sleep
away the hottest summer months. Of course, there are no marmots
at the 14,000 ft summit, but we saw dozens at lower elevations.
To be absolutely truthful, I should say that the dogs saw them.
I only knew when we passed one because the dogs would suddenly
veer off the trail and send the sled catapulting over the big
rocks that were beginning to emerge from the melting snow. On
one occasion they left me behind, flat on my back. The only reason
I caught the team was that they had cornered a marmot under a
rock and were fighting over who got to go in after it. They never
caught a single marmot but they nearly killed me.
"Honestly, the best part of Life on the Edge is that
it's so much fun," concluded Phillips.
White Mountain yeast packets will be distributed to participating
educators during the summer of 1999 in time for the 1999-2000
school year. Click for more
information about how to participate.
 We're
looking for a few good volunteers
During the summer of 1999, we'll begin distributing yeast packets
to participating schools (including home schools) in time for
the 1999-2000 school year. If you have an interest in learning
about life in extreme environments, you can sign up to receive
a sample packet of microbes returned from the White Mountain
summit. What does it cost? Nothing! We'll simply ask that you
try out some of our classroom-safe lab protocols and give us
your feedback. If you're interested please sign
up for our Partners in Discovery program. |
Life on the Edge is a collaborative educational project
being developed between NASA/Marshall Science and Technology Directorate and
the University of California White Mountain Research Station
(WMRS). Participants include Richard Hoover, Tony Phillips, John
Horack, and Dale Watring of NASA; Dave Trydahl, Joe Szewczak,
and Susan Szewczak of the WMRS.
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Life on the Edge FAQ
 What is Life on the Edge? Why
study life in extreme environments? How do I become involved?
The answers to these and many other questions about Life on the
Edge may be found on our Frequently
Asked Questions web page.
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