![[An image of a hot spring at Yellowstone National Park. The hot spring is a reddish-orange color in the foreground. The colors transition to a blue and green background, from which a vapor is rising.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-11-27-140921.png)
The discovery of extremophiles – organisms that thrive in extreme environments – completely changed scientists’ perspectives on the conditions necessary for life. These evolutionary marvels provide context for the origins of life, evolution, and are maybe the best case for the possibility of the existence of life on other planets with extreme environments….
Tag: Fungi
The cycle of life… and death… below your feet
As an ecosystem ecologist, I study how the cycle of life and death influences forest structure and changes over time. A walk in the woods might illuminate the forest’s dynamism as you observe squirrels tending to their buried acorn caches and listen to woodpeckers feasting on grubs. In contrast, the plant community may appear more… Read more »
Employing wheat’s bacterial partners to fight a pathogen: An internship experience
This post is from the US Department of Agriculture’s blog. It was originally published on August 7, 2018, and has been lightly edited with a short introduction on internship experiences for graduate students. Internships in graduate school can be a fantastic experience. They can expose you to a completely new way to do science outside… Read more »
Horton Hears a Who – Hidden Communities in Leaves
Maybe you remember reading the classic Dr. Seuss tale as a child, Horton Hears a Who! Or you may have also seen the 2008 movie adaptation on TV or at some recent family vacation? For those who haven’t, or whose memory might be a little fuzzy, Horton the elephant discovers, and becomes the sole champion of, an… Read more »
Soooo mysterious: The hidden fungi of plants.
Have you ever picked a fallen leaf off the ground and wondered where it came from? Stared at the trees changing colors and losing their leaves above you, as those leaves ultimately find their way to the massive piles young kids like to jump into? Well, ever since I started delving into the strange and… Read more »