Presentation is available

If anyone is interested in taking a second look it has been posted over in the links bar on the right :)

Tardigrades on a Rocketship

I have yet to paint the TARDIS on the back, but I think it looks pretty nifty and our Waterbear looks happy :)

TARDIS Rocketship

Currently in the process of building a TARDIS rocketship for the newest member of our group based upon this article from the European Space Agency: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Research/Tiny_animals_survive_exposure_to_space

Introducing our new group member- Hypsibius dujardini aka WATERBEAR!

"FACTS: One of the more fascinating organisms in the microsphere is the common tardigrade - technically speaking, "slow walker." However, it is not the tardigrade's sluggish speed that captures attention, but rather the fact that as this minuscule creature lumbers along on its eight tiny legs, it bears an uncanny resemblance to, well, a bear.

First described in 1773 by Johann August Ephraim Goeze as "kleiner Wasserbär," these "little Waterbears" are unusually hardy. By entering a state of cryptobiosis - a kind of super-hibernation where the metabolism becomes inactive - waterbears can survive boiling water, and at temperatures close to absolute zero. They can dry out and survive 99% dehydrated for decades. They can survive a thousand times more radiation than  humans can. They can even survive in the vacuum of outer space!

Needless to say, with these death-defying abilities, waterbears are found all over the world, from the highest mountain peaks to the depths of the deep. But they are typically found nearby in the miniature rainforests created by common mosses (indeed, they are sometimes called "moss piglets") - so backyard adventurers with low-powered microscopes can easily go on a waterbear hunt.

But never fear: although a few species (such as the grizzly Milnesium tardigradum) are aggressively carnivorous, as a whole, waterbears (including our own  Hypsibius dujardini) are quiet herbivores who live gentle little lives, picnicking and playing - and taking long, slow walks."

Bill Nye Excerpt

Just thought I'd post the url to the video excerpt we're using, so here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3by9GBAFpas

Presentation Update

Hey, just wanted to say I started the presentation in a google presentation. I can share it with you guys tomorrow during the meeting. (I needed to get a jump start on making my slides... I won't have much time this coming week to work on them.)

Images

Here are the images I discussed in the email that we might want to include in our presentation:

They're from Essential Microbiology by Stuart Hogg, 2005

While working on the thermophiles/hyperthermophiles part of the presentation, I found this resource which might be helpful for all of us: http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/extreme/environments.html
It's called "Microbial Life Education Resources" and is a compilation made by the Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College. It includes all of the extreme environments we are researching as well as several others. Worth a look if you need some more ideas for your papers.

Algal Biomass and Melting Arctic Sea Ice

Here's a paper discussing algae that grows on the underside of arctic sea ice and its export due to the ice melting, as well as how it contributes nutrients so microorganisms can live in the cold arctic environment. Might be useful for the psychrophile section of the paper.

Psychrophile Applications Paper

And here's another paper about scientific applications of psychrophiles: kaboom.

Psychrophile Paper

Hey, just wanted to share a nice paper I found from Western Washington University regarding psychrophiles and psychrotrophs. Bam.

Bill Nye and "The Big Think"

I haven't found any episodes of Bill Nye: The Science Guy featuring Bill talking about extremophiles (I'm going to keep looking though!), but I did find this video by "The Big Think."

http://bigthink.com/think-tank/were-not-alone-astronomers-estimate-there-are-10-billion-planets-like-earth 

I think we could possibly use part of this video (from about 1:36 on) as a closing to our presentation, talking about how the existence of extremophiles has great implications regarding the existence of life on other planets, even planets within our own solar system. 

Project Description

The group will cover the following classifications of extremeophiles: halophiles, acidophiles, thermophiles/hyperthermophiles, and psychrophiles. We will explore the various aspects of each extremeophile classification as well as any scientific or technological applications. 

Meet Richard Hoover: Extremophile Hunter

"Astrobiologist Richard Hoover really goes to extremes to find living things that thrive where life would seem to be impossible--from the glaciers of the Alaskan Arctic to the ice sheets of Antarctica."

And some cool space stuff is discussed, too. Check it out!

Let's get this going :)

Hey, guys! I saw that no one posted anything yet, so I figured I might as well post a colorful article I found from University of Arizona. It might be a little outdated (1997?) but a good way to kick this blog off.