Dr. Penny Boston will discuss “Crunchy on the Outside, Tender on the Inside: Long-term Geological Persistence of Microorganisms” on Thursday, April 3, at 7 p.m. in Walter 135.
Dr. Penny Boston
The event is free and open to the public.
Abstract: Huge and spectacular crystals in a very hot cave system in Naica, Mexico, contain tiny pockets of fluid. Inside these pockets are living organisms that have survived for tens of thousands of years. Our recent work on the living microorganisms and DNA from these fluid inclusions raise an important question. How long can microorganisms remain alive in geological materials like fluid inclusions, rock fractures, or other geological materials? Possible long-term survival of microorganisms in geological time capsules would have important implications for the evolution of life on earth and the potential for life on other planets.
Boston is Professor of Cave and Karst Science in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science at New Mexico Tech. The presentation is sponsored by the Ohio University Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and the Geological Sciences Department in the College of Arts & Sciences.
Related Event
The Geological Sciences Colloquium Series presents Dr. Penny Boston on “The Planet Within: Exploring Cave Habitats on Earth, Mars and Beyond” on Friday, April 4, at 2 p.m. in Walter 235.
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