How to survive in one of Earth’s most extreme environments
New research finds that a unique component of cell membranes in an archaea species conveys protection against acidic surroundings by Fatima Husain Even in Earth’s most inhospitable environments, life has taken hold. Extremophiles, the organisms most well-known for withstanding extreme temperatures, pHs, salinity, and even nutrient-starvation, have evolved special mechanisms that enable them to survive […]
Roger Summons on Proof
Over the summer, Roger Summons was interviewed for Proof, America’s Test Kitchen’s podcast. His interview appears in the episode “Beanboozled.” The whole podcast episode is fun, and Roger appears between minutes 27 and 32. Listen in here!
Mars 2020 landing site offers unique opportunity to study ancient Martian history and search for ancient life
EAPS Professors Summons, Bosak and Weiss provide insight and advise on landing site potential. by Fatima Husain Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/JHU-APL In 2020, NASA’s next rover will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and head to Jezero crater on Mars. The location, which NASA Science Mission Directorate associate administrator Thomas Zurbuchen announced this week, […]
Addressing the Possibility of Life on Mars
Mars expert John Grotzinger tells the story of exploration and the search for ancient life on the red planet at the 2018 Carlson Lecture. by Fatima Husain Story Image: John Grotzinger’s research focuses on interactions between life and environment, and tectonic and climatic regimes. (Vicki McKenna) In 2018, millions around the world caught glimpses of the planet […]
The Power of Persistence and the Scientific Method
Researchers identify a unique molecular fossil that tracks multicellular animal evolution. by Fatima Husain Evidence of ancient life on Earth is scattered around the globe. The most obvious examples of past life include visible fossils, preserved in sedimentary rocks in the geologic record, viewable in museums and paleontology laboratories alike. But the visible fossil record […]
Studying the Hotbed of Horizontal Gene Transfers
Global Microbiome Conservancy’s preliminary results reveal new insights into human gut microbiomes by Fatima Husain Story caption: A farming scene in rural Rwanda Credit: Christopher Corzett For over 200,000 years, humans and their gut microbiomes have coevolved into some of the most complex collections of living organisms on the planet. But as human lifestyles vary […]
From simple separations to complex questions
Using demonstrations in geobiology and astrobiology to educate and empower Campers separated different ink colors on coffee filters. Photo Credit: Alina Husain Each summer, groups of girls from around Groton, New Hampshire gather near the scenic Spectacle Pond to take part in the Circle Program, a program which provides girls from low-income backgrounds with year-round […]
Gateway to Antarctica
Summons lab member Emily Matys searches around the globe to reveal the secrets of microbial life by Fatima Husain Matys in Antarctica. Photo Credit: Emily Matys To reveal the complex secrets of microbial life, MIT EAPS PhD candidate and Summons lab member Emily Matys travels around the globe. Matys analyzes lipids — oils, waxes, and […]
Putting the microbiome on the map
Global Microbiome Conservancy scales up by Fatima Husain Researcher Ainara Sistiaga shares food processing methods with a Hadza woman and her child. Photo credit: Christopher Corzett As global human gut microbiome diversity dwindles, a non-profit collaboration between scientists around the world is racing to collect, catalog, and preserve the full biodiversity of human gut bacteria before […]
3 Questions: Roger Summons on finding organic matter on Mars
NASA’s Curiosity rover has found evidence of complex organic matter preserved in the topmost layers of the Martian surface, scientists report today in the journal Science. While the new results are far from a confirmation of life on Mars, scientists believe they support earlier hypotheses that the Red Planet was once clement and habitable for […]
