It just blows my mind how microorganisms have the coolest
attributes. Many of us just see these creatures as small and not much of any
value but they are so important. We also think that our species is
glorious and indestructible but let's be honest, the only
indestructible organism on this planets is tardigrades or "water
bears." They are microscopic in size but are so strong. They can survive
in almost any extreme environment and be exposed to high radiation! In
fact, NASA sent a colony of water bears to the International Space Station. The
astronauts directly exposed these cute creatures out into outer space and guess
what... they survived! It seems to me that humans aren't as strong as
tardigrades. In fact, we are fragile creatures. Now, why am I obsessing over a
chubby looking microorganism? Well, if you have been following my blog, I am
currently developing a lab experiment that investigates how extremophiles react
to the martian environment. However, in order to do this, I need to get a good
understanding of Mars' climate. On Friday, I had the opportunity to speak with
Dr. Michael Mischna, who is currently a research scientist at JPL. His work
focuses on Mars' climate and atmosphere. Dr. Mischna provided me with
incredible information. His insight into the atmosphere and climate allowed me
to get a better understanding of what the extremophiles might do when they
get to Mars. Though I have been tirelessly working on my original work, I still
have a long way to go but I am very excited about it.