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Jan. 13, 1999: NASA scientists are joining forces with
researchers from the Center for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica
and the University of California's White Mountain Research Station
to conduct a unique educational activity in microbiology. It's
a hands-on experiment designed for students of all ages to investigate
life in extreme environments and to learn about the possibilities
for life elsewhere in the Solar System.
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This month scientists will launch a program called Life on the Edge designed to bring the concepts of life in extreme environments to classrooms everywhere. "The basic idea," says Dr. David Noever, a member of NASA/Marshall's astrobiology research group, "is to expose a collection of microorganisms to some of Earth's harshest environments, including geothermal vents, high mountain peaks, and even the South Pole. We plan to distribute the microbes to US classrooms where students can perform experiments to see how well they fared. The microbes would come with an 'Extremophiles Experimenter's Kit' containing all the basic ingredients a student might need to investigate how well the microbes survived their experience." |
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Students would apply simple laboratory protocols to assess the effects of severe conditions on their microbe samples, and to learn how these conditions compare with environments elsewhere in the solar system, such as Europa, the Moon, and Mars. "The exact contents of the Experimenter's Kit are still up in the air," continued Noever, "and there are many candidate micro-organisms for this experiment, including yeasts native to Antarctica, bacteria from Russian volcanoes, and others. We have to decide which microbes are going to work best in the field and in the classroom. That's the purpose of the White Mountain activity." Step One -- The White Mountain Summit
The first phase of Life on the Edge begins next week when
Dr. Tony Phillips and a team of 8 Siberian Huskies will transport
a 50 lb container of test microbes to the summit of the White
Mountain Range in central California. Conditions there are severe.
At 14,249 ft., the air pressure is only 600 millibars, and the
sustained temperature during winter is a frigid -20 C. Annual
precipitation is less than 12 inches, most of which arrives as
snow in winter. The temperature, pressure, and low humidity are
similar to conditions at Earth's south pole during the austral
summer. |
"The White Mountain summit is just the first of many extreme
environments we plan to explore through Life on the Edge.
This first run is a test to help us validate some of our basic
assumptions," explained Dr. John Horack, director of science
communications at the NASA/Marshall Space Sciences Lab. "Do
the microbe containers work as expected? Which microorganisms
survive the bitter cold? What lab protocols are best? You don't
know unless you do the experiment, and we'd like students to
help us figure these things out. That's why we're inviting educators
to become involved now, at the beginning, by signing up for our
Partners in
Discovery program. By joining they'll be eligible to
receive microbe samples from the White Mountains and to help
us develop classroom protocols that we'll use with microorganisms
from other extreme environments." The microbes will be situated at the White Mountain summit during the 3 harshest months of the Northern winter, and then returned for testing in early May 1999. Most of the micro-organisms will be members of the family saccharomyces cerevisiae, better known as baker's yeast. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is one of the half-dozen microbes on Earth whose genetic script has been comprehensively deciphered. Notable in the yeast gene is a host of signals called thermal shock proteins that trigger the microbe to protect itself against extremes in heat and cold. |
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Two types of containers will be used. One will place the microbes
in thermal contact with the environment, but isolate them from
other factors like wind, snow, and competing life forms. A second
type of container will expose the microbes as fully as possible
to their surroundings, without actually releasing them into the
environment. These "full exposure" vessels will provide
the most realistic test of life in extreme conditions.
All of the organisms listed above have the best possible biosafety rating as determined by the American Type Culture Collection. |
After the microbes are recovered in May they will be flown to
the NASA/Marshall Space Sciences Laboratory. There, researchers
will evaluate the design of the microbe containers and examine
the microbes themselves to see how well they endured winter conditions
at the summit. The experience gained at the White Mountain summit
will be invaluable for planning future Life on the Edge
expeditions to Alaska, the South Pole, and other frigid, high
altitude environments. Left: Lead Dogs of Science. Tovic (right) and Blue (left) rest between training runs in the Inyo National Forest. Tovic and Blue will lead a team of 8 Siberian Huskies and one astronomer on an arduous journey to the White Mountain Summit at 14,249 ft., where they will place a 50 lb container full of yeast and other extremophiles. Tovic and Blue have two years experience as lead dogs. This will be their first scientific expedition. NASA Science News will cover the expedition to the White Mountain summit as it progresses. The journey is set to begin this week. Life on the Edge is a collaborative educational project being developed between NASA/Marshall Space Science Laboratory, the Center for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica (CARA), and the University of California White Mountain Research Station (WMRS). Participants include David Noever, Richard Hoover, Tony Phillips, John Horack, and Dale Watring of NASA; Randy Landsberg of CARA; Joe Szewczak and Susan Szewczak of the WMRS. |
Web Links | |
The White Mountain Research Station - from the University of California The Center for Astrophysical research in Antarctica -- from the University of Chicago and Comets web site The Star Trails Society - join NASA as a partner in Discovery SouthPole.com - The South Pole Adventure Web Page NASA/Ames Astrobiology Web Site -- something for everyone interested in astrobiology NASA's Office of Space Science - press releases and other news related to NASA and astrophysics |
Related Stories: 3 Dec. 1998: The frosty plains of Europa -- new evidence for water
on Jupiter's moon. |
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Tony Phillips, Dr.
David Noever |