Imagine what kinds of organisms not only tolerate, but thrive living under extreme pressures, next to a vent spewing hot noxious chemicals.
Find out about this strange reality as deep ocean explorer and biologist Peter Girguis presents a free public lecture about "Life on the Edge: Three Decades of Discovery at Hydrothermal Vents" at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 29 in the Evert B. Person Theater.
The density of animals at hydrothermal vents rivals every known terrestrial ecosystem, and the organisms there may be the fastest growing on Earth, all without a single ray of sunshine. No other ecosystem is comparable.
Scientists hypothesize that deep-ocean hydrothermal vents will help unlock the mysteries of life on our planet, and may help us consider where life may flourish in other parts of the universe. From mantle to microbe...exploring the links between planetary renewal and life in the deep ocean.
Girguis' research focuses on deep-sea marine microbial physiology, in particular how microbes mediate carbon and nitrogen cycling at hydrothermal vents and hydrocarbon seeps. He is also involved in developing new deep-sea sensor technologies such as underwater mass spectrometers.
"We know so very little about the deep ocean - it's one of the least explored habitats on our own planet," says marine biology professor Karina Nielsen, one of the organizers of the event. "We only discovered these unique life forms in the mid-1970's so there is alot to learn and see in this presentation."
Girguis is an assistant professor in the Organismal and Evolutionary Biology department at Harvard. He received his B.Sc. from the University of California at Los Angeles and his Ph.D. from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
He was awarded a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, where he studied microbial methane metabolism and was expedition leader on numerous dives in the DSV Alvin in the Monterey canyon and the Juan deFuca Ridge.
Photos and videos of his research can be found on the Web at www.oeb.harvard.edu/faculty/girguis/.
The lecture, sponsored by SSU's biology and geology departments, is part of the Distinguished Lecturer Series of Ridge 2000, a multidisciplinary program that integrates geosciences and biosciences, sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
For more information, phone Biology Professor Karina Nielsen, (707) 664-2962.
