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Microorganisms and Extreme Environments

Biological sciences probe the limits for life as we know it by studying microorganisms in extreme environments, in environments analogous to the planets and moons of our solar system, and those that lie beyond it. Identifying characteristics that are signatures for life is an essential part of this work.

Atacama Desert
Atacama Desert, Chile

Biological sciences research in the Institute for Planets and Life (IPL) includes:

  • Adaptive mechanisms of extremophiles and responses to environmental stresses
  • Ecosystem-level studies of microbial communities at the dry extreme for life. Field sites include the Atacama Desert, the Dry Valleys of Antarctica, and many other deserts around the world
  • Exploring life in liquid environments such as the sub-surface oceans on Europa and Enceladus, via laboratory work, modeling, and studies of analogous environments on Earth
  • Radiation hazards and mitigation: exploring how cosmic radiation modifies life and signs of life, and whether an atmosphere is needed to protect emergent life
  • Characterization of biosignatures resulting from microbial activity

Biological Sciences Researchers

  • Christopher Bradburne

    Christopher Bradburne
    Senior Scientist Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

  • Jocelyne DiRuggiero

    Jocelyne DiRuggiero
    Associate Research Professor Johns Hopkins University

  • Stephen D. Fried

    Stephen D. Fried
    Assistant Professor Johns Hopkins University

  • Maya Gomes

    Maya Gomes
    Assistant Professor Johns Hopkins University

  • Jorge Núñez

    Jorge Núñez
    Planetary Scientist Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory