This past week has been a flurry of activity preparing for my upcoming trip. The most immediate task was packing my gear for Antarctica. For this project we are collecting a variety of samples.   Some samples will be of rocks, looking for microbes that can thrive inside the rocks. There are also frozen lakes in…

Antarctica is a dream destination for many. But travelling to such a remote location also comes with its risks. You are closer to people in outer space (space station is ~250 miles away) than you are from civilization. Sure, Antarctica may be a continent, but is does not have the amenities of the rest of…

Growing up, there were many warm summer nights when I laid in the grass and looked at the stars in the night sky. On particularly clear nights, it seemed impossible to count all the stars.  It also seemed improbable that there were so many stars yet no other life forms in the universe. Fast forward…