MSU faculty work in extreme environments from hot of Yellowstone National Parks geothermic sites to cold of the ice found in the dry river beds of Antartica.
Thermal Biology research at Montana State University is conducted by a multidisciplinary team of scientists studying the unique thermal environments in Yellowstone National Park. The close proximity to one of the largest geothermal areas in North America provides the researchers the opportunity to conduct cutting-edge research focused on the chemistry and biology of geothermal systems.
MSU scientists work in other extreme environments too including the cold reaches of Antartica. MSU has internationally known scientists studing microbes found deep in the Antarctic ice. They are also currently constructing a 2,700 square foot Subzero Research Facility which will be a cold research facility like no other found in the world.
Microbial biogeochemistry in icy systems on Earth and the outer planets emphasizing survivability and detectability. Current projects include a study of life beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet (http://wissard.org/), the paleohistory of microbes in polar ice sheets (http://www.waisdivide.unh.edu/), Long term changes in the microbial ecology of Antarctic lakes in response to climate change (http://www.mcmlter.org/) and the Astrobiology of Icy Worlds (http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/teams/can5/jpl-icy-worlds/). Many of these projects are also outlined on http://www.montana.edu/lkbonney/.
Recent Publications
See http://www.montana.edu/lkbonney/ for current list of publications.
