Researchers discover microbial life on ice spires known as penitentes on the arid, sunlight-blasted upper reaches of Llullaillaco, one of the best earthly analogues for Mars.
Life in extreme environments
Posted inNews
Limiting Factor Was a Science Opportunity for a Deep-Sea Geologist
For Mariana Trench expert Patricia Fryer, an extreme explorer’s record-setting dive was a chance to retrieve some of the deepest samples ever collected.
Posted inNews
Microbes Spotted in “Polyextreme” Hot Springs
Hot springs that are as acidic as battery acid are home to single-celled microorganisms that may indicate that life could have been sustained on ancient Mars.
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Atacama Desert’s Unprecedented Rains Are Lethal to Microbes
Rainfall in the driest parts of Chile’s Atacama Desert in 2017 resulted in hypersaline lagoons that killed the majority of microbes adapted to millions of years of arid conditions.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Life and Death in the Deepest Depths of the Seafloor
Lacking light and energy, under-seafloor microbes rely on ancient organic materials to survive.
Posted inNews
After a Glacier Retreats, Plants Thrive Thanks to Phosphorus
Grasses, small flowers, and mosses colonize glacial till in the Peruvian Andes when researchers apply a phosphorus fertilizer, an ecological surprise with implications for carbon sequestration.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Rocks in Chile Help Scientists Hunt for Life on Mars
Investigating oxalate minerals in the Atacama Desert provides a terrestrial analogue to test techniques that could be used to study the carbon cycle in the cold deserts of Mars.
Posted inNews
Cave-Dwelling "Slime Curtains" Cycle Nitrogen and Iron
In a cave accessible only by daredevil divers, extraordinary microbial colonies metabolize nitrogen and iron nutrients and possibly remove pollutants from water.
Posted inNews
Can Microbes Survive Multiple Trips into the Stratosphere?
Searching for life on Mars starts at home, with a balloon launch.
Posted inScience Updates
Reading History From Afar
A look at the sedimentary record in northern Ethiopia tells the story of oceans past—and maybe future.