Distinctly Montana Magazine

DARREN EDWARDS Recently it was discovered that there are several methane plumes streaming out of the surface of Mars. Methane is an organic molecule that on Earth is produced almost exclusively by living microorganisms called methanogens. Scientists are vigorously debating whether or not the methane plumes on Mars are evidence for life there, or if the methane could be produced without life. Methanogens are common in many geothermal springs in Yellowstone, including Old Faithful. Scien- tists believe that methanogens are good candidates for life on Mars or on Jupiter's moon Europa and thus are actively studying them. NASA PHOTO The field of astrobiology is attempting to research three fundamental questions: how did life begin and evolve; is there life elsewhere in the universe; and what is the future of life on Earth, and beyond? NASA researchers are studying Yellowstone's microbes because scientists think they might resemble some of the first life on Earth. These microbes can help us understand how life started on our planet and how it might exist on other planets. What we consider as being extreme on Earth might be similar to what is normal on other planets. Therefore, many scientists think that if we discover life elsewhere in the universe it may resemble the organisms living in Earth's most extreme environments, not the little green men shown in cartoons and movies. Yellowstone is a particularly rich environment in which to explore extreme life because it is home to half (more than 10,000) of the world's hydrothermal features. Yellowstone's thermal DARREN EDWARDS features also have a wide range of pHs, temperatures, and chemical compositions that yield a diversity of microbes that we are just beginning to discover. In order to research the fundamental questions of astrobiology, the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) was created. The Montana State University Astrobiology Bio- geocatalysis Research Center (ABRC) is one of 14 teams at universities and science centers around the country that comprise NAI. The other teams are from institutions such as NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Pennsylvania State University. "I think people are often re- ally surprised to find a NASA-funded astrobiology center so far from any NASA research or spaceflight facility. Yet, we have the incredible living Astrobiology laboratory of Yel- lowstone National Park in our backyard," said John Peters, the head of ABRC. 80 DISTINCTLY MONTANA • WINTER 2011

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