January 11, 2012
Listen to the story:
A team of scientists from the University of Arizona has been crawling through the depths of Kartchner Caverns, searching for the smallest keys to life.
Microbes. It seems they like the dark, moist environment of the cave. Researchers even found that the microbes in the cave were markedly different from the ones found on the surface, above the cave.
Photo: Mark Duggan
A scientific experiment set up in Kartchner Caverns.
Microbiologist Dr. Raina Maier oversees the research as part of the Kartchner Caverns Microbial Observatory project. She says microbes are thriving in the extreme environment of the cave, and that that could provide valuable insight into how they make their living on earth -- or even on Mars.
The team also found cave bacteria that deposit calcium carbonate crystals, the same material that makes up the cave formations.
Photo: Mark Duggan
A mineral column in Kartchner Caverns.
Julie Nelson, a member of the research team, describes Kartchner as a challenging laboratory.
The team works long hours in low light, mud and near-100% humidity. And since a lot of their work is done in highly sensitive parts of the cave, they do everything they can to minimize their impact.
Kartchner Caverns is the only cave in the National Science Foundation's worldwide network of microbial observatories. It's a living cave, meaning water still flows and formations still grow in it. It's also one of the world's most studied caves.
In 2011, Arizona Public Media Reporter Gisela Telis reported on the research being conducted in Kartchner. Read What Lies Beneath.
To prevent spam, comments are no longer allowed after thirty days.
