The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) has secured a $750,000 grant from NASA’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) to study unique underground ecosystems powered by radiation instead of sunlight. The findings could help guide NASA’s search for life beneath the surfaces of Mars and icy worlds elsewhere in the solar system.
DRI Microbiologist Duane Moser co-authored a new study which introduces an AI-driven approach for the rapid detection and characterization of emerging variants during wastewater surveillance. The research builds on his earlier work helping to establish wastewater monitoring as a cost-effective tool for tracking pathogens during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The question of whether Earth is alone in harboring life has captivated humanity for millennia. In recent years, scientists have turned to Earth-like planets in other solar systems that may show the most promise, but many revolve around stars that emit much stronger solar radiation than our own. Now, a new study offers evidence that life as we know it may be able to thrive on those Earth-like exoplanets.
DRI’s Duane Moser, Ali Saidi-Mehrabad, and Molly Devlin co-authored a new study that examines the genetics and life strategies of microbes living deep below Earth’s surface. Dr. Moser and his lab conducted the fieldwork for the research as part of their work studying deep wells located in the Death Valley regional flow system.