2024 Research in the Capitol
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)
Abstract
In order to understand the pathways by which life may be sustained within the Solar System, extreme environments must be studied on Earth first. Within the Solar System, the icy moons of Europa and Enceladus contain subsurface lakes which harbor organics while calcite deposits on Mars provide evidence of ancient water. Evidence of past and present water stores a record of the terrain’s history and current potential for life. Wind Cave National Park provides an opportunity to examine multiple analog environments in a single isolated setting. Currently forming flowstone stores a record of organics from the surface while zebra calcite preserves a record of ancient water once existing in the cave. Using a portable spectrometer, the unique color fingerprint of cave formations can be analyzed. By studying analogs in the cave which resemble our Solar System, the minimal conditions that life can be established in extreme environments can be examined.
Start Date
25-3-2024 11:45 AM
End Date
25-3-2024 1:30 PM
Event Host
University Honors Programs, Iowa Regent Universities
Faculty Advisor
Joshua Sebree
Department
Department of Biology
Department
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Copyright
©2024 Jacqueline Heggen, Evelyn Lopez, and Joshua Sebree
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Heggen, Jacqueline; Lopez, Evelyn; and Sebree, Joshua, "Entrance to Entrance: A Hunt for Astrobiological Analogs at Wind Cave" (2024). Research in the Capitol. 6.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/rcapitol/2024/all/6
Entrance to Entrance: A Hunt for Astrobiological Analogs at Wind Cave
In order to understand the pathways by which life may be sustained within the Solar System, extreme environments must be studied on Earth first. Within the Solar System, the icy moons of Europa and Enceladus contain subsurface lakes which harbor organics while calcite deposits on Mars provide evidence of ancient water. Evidence of past and present water stores a record of the terrain’s history and current potential for life. Wind Cave National Park provides an opportunity to examine multiple analog environments in a single isolated setting. Currently forming flowstone stores a record of organics from the surface while zebra calcite preserves a record of ancient water once existing in the cave. Using a portable spectrometer, the unique color fingerprint of cave formations can be analyzed. By studying analogs in the cave which resemble our Solar System, the minimal conditions that life can be established in extreme environments can be examined.
