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Motions in nearby galaxy cluster reveal presence of hidden superstructure
Gravity Probe B mission begins collecting science to test Einstein's theory
For release: 07/30/2003
Photo release #: N03-007
NASA scientist discovers new species of organism in Mars-like environment
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Thumbnail 100 x 100 (72)In the astrobiology laboratory at the National Space Science and Technology Center in Huntsville, Ala., microbiologist Dr. Elena V. Pikuta and astrobiologist Richard Hoover culture extremophiles -- microorganisms that can live in extreme environments. The scientists recently discovered a new species of extremophile, Spirochaeta Americana. The species was found in Northern California's Mono Lake - an alkaline, briny oxygen-limited lake in a closed volcanic crater that Hoover believes may offer new clues to help identify possible sites to search for potential life on Mars.
Hoover is an astrobiologist at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, and Pikuta is a microbiologist with the Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomy Research Laboratory at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The National Space Science and Technology Center is a partnership with the Marshall Center, Alabama universities, industry, research institutes and federal agencies. (NASA/MSFC/Doug Stoffer)
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Thumbnail 100 x 100 (72)Spirochaeta americana is a new species discovered by scientists at the National Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC) in Huntsville, Ala. One of approximately 6,000 validly named species of bacteria, Spirochaeta americana is the 14th species in Spirochaeta, a genus containing organisms living in environments ranging from mud to oil fields. This photo shows the new species described by the NSSTC scientists. This image uses a fluorescent stain to recognize living and dead cells. The red spiral-shaped figures are dead cells, while green ones are living. The spherical bodies are spheroplasts -- fragile cells that become enlarged due to the weakening of their cell walls. The National Space Science and Technology Center is a partnership between the Marshall Center, Alabama universities, industry, research institutes and federal agencies. (Richard B. Hoover, Elena Pikuta and Asim Bej, NASA MSFC/NSSTC University of Alabama in Huntsville, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham)
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Thumbnail 100 x 100 (72)California's Mono Lake, as seen from the Space Shuttle, is a terminal lake, meaning water does not flow through it. Instead, water enters the lake from hot alkaline springs, rainfall and streams and leaves only by evaporation. As water evaporates, it leaves behind chemicals that have become more concentrated over thousands of years and many of the minerals present are formed through microbial activity. As a result, its water is twice as salty as seawater and extremely alkaline, with a pH of 10. (NASA/JSC)
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