{"607153":{"#nid":"607153","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Delving into the Perchlorate Diners of Pilot Valley, Utah","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.news.gatech.edu\/2015\/09\/28\/mineralogical-confirmation-liquid-water-present-day-mars\u0022\u003ELiquid water on Mars\u003C\/a\u003E fired everyone\u0026rsquo;s fancy in 2015. Water on Mars today exists in the form of hydrated perchlorates, said the researchers who led the work. They include \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/wray.eas.gatech.edu\/people.html\u0022\u003EJames Wray\u003C\/a\u003E, an associate professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe finding boosts the possibility of life on the red planet. Water tied to perchlorate meets life\u0026rsquo;s two needs: water and energy. Perchlorate emits huge amounts of energy when it reacts. For this reason, its salts are ingredients of rocket boosters and fireworks.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPerchlorate as Food for Microbes\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESome organisms use perchlorate as an energy source. So-called perchlorate-reducing microorganisms (PRM) would likely live in places where perchlorate naturally occurs. Yet coexistence of PRMs with naturally occurring perchlorate has not been detected until recently.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOne likely place where such coexistence may occur is Pilot Valley, in the Great Salt Lake Desert of Utah. Pilot Valley is a hypersaline, perchlorate-rich, and closed basin. It loses water mainly from evaporation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EYet perchlorate vanishes from Pilot Valley to an extent that cannot be explained by water loss, says Kennda Lynch. She\u0026rsquo;s a postdoctoral researcher working with Wray and School of Biological Sciences Professor \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/biosci.gatech.edu\/people\/frank-rosenzweig\u0022\u003EFrank Rosenzweig\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPerchlorate is soluble in water, but it will not evaporate with water. Perchlorate salt residues should accumulate as water evaporates. Yet Pilot Valley shows a decline of such salt remains. The perchlorate is just disappearing. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELynch believes PRMs in Pilot Valley must be using the perchlorate. While doing her Ph.D., Lynch found the first known coexistence of PRMs and naturally occurring perchlorate in Pilot Valley. Because no one knows what these PRMs are, Lynch will spend the next year finding out. Supporting her work is a \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/nrc58.nas.edu\/FordFellows20\/ExtRpts\/PressReleaseRoster.aspx?RptMode=AW\u0026amp;CompYr=2018\u0026amp;Layout=wwwLibs%2fUtil_Web%2fPageLayouts%2fApplPrintLayout\u0022\u003Erecently announced Ford Foundation fellowship\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFord Foundation Fellowship\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m extremely honored to be a Ford Fellow,\u0026rdquo; Lynch says.\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;This funding will allow me to continue this important research, which will aid the search for evidence of life on other planets.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFord Foundation Fellowship Programs seek to increase diversity in academia by increasing ethnic and racial diversity. As a fellow, Lynch will gain access to one of the largest communities of academic professionals committed to creating and fostering diverse environments in higher education.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe fellowship presents a \u0026ldquo;unique opportunity to forge connections with extraordinary individuals as I continue efforts to broaden diversity within the field of astrobiology,\u0026rdquo; she says.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELynch\u0026rsquo;s Ford Foundation research aims to find out what microbial communities use perchlorate. What are the mechanisms at their disposal?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELynch will examine whether active perchlorate metabolism takes place in Pilot Valley. If so, what other metabolic processes occur when that process is on?\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThen she will use the findings to help define a model for perchlorate-driven life on Mars.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFilling the Knowledge Gap\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe work will help \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/\u0022\u003ENASA\u0026rsquo;s Mars Exploration Program\u003C\/a\u003E understand the extent of habitable environments on Mars, including energy sources that could drive microbial systems. \u0026ldquo;Perchlorate is one of the most abundant and most energetic metabolic resources on Mars,\u0026rdquo; Lynch says. Yet basic questions abound about its use to support life in a place that looks like Mars.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWorking in Pilot Valley \u0026ndash; an Earth stand-in for Mars \u0026ndash; Lynch aims to fill the knowledge gap. She will run experiments to detect perchlorate use. She will apply state-of-the-art techniques to find genes for, and expression of, perchlorate metabolism. She will also isolate PRMs.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELynch will continue to work with Wray and Rosenzweig. However, she will be based mostly in the lab of EAS Assistant Professor \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.eas.gatech.edu\/people\/glass-dr-jennifer\u0022\u003EJennifer Glass\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;My lab members and I are very excited to have Kennda join us,\u0026rdquo; Glass says. \u0026ldquo;Kennda will bring a new perspective on Mars\u0026rsquo;s relevance to our group. Serendipitously, we have cultivated microbes similar to PRMs in our recent studies, and we look forward to helping Kennda grow new, exciting microbes from Pilot Valley.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"With Ford Foundation support, Kennda Lynch seeks to learn more about microbes that consume rocket fuel as energy source "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EKennda Lynch believes certain microorganisms\u0026nbsp;in Pilot Valley must be using perchlorate as energy source.\u0026nbsp;Because no one knows what these microbes are, Lynch will spend the next year finding out. Supporting her work is a \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/nrc58.nas.edu\/FordFellows20\/ExtRpts\/PressReleaseRoster.aspx?RptMode=AW\u0026amp;CompYr=2018\u0026amp;Layout=wwwLibs%2fUtil_Web%2fPageLayouts%2fApplPrintLayout\u0022\u003Erecently announced Ford Foundation fellowship\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"With Ford Foundation support, Kennda Lynch seeks to learn more about microbes that consume rocket fuel as energy source. "}],"uid":"30678","created_gmt":"2018-06-18 20:13:11","changed_gmt":"2018-06-19 12:27:09","author":"A. Maureen Rouhi","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2018-06-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2018-06-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"607152":{"id":"607152","type":"image","title":"Kennda Lynch (Photo by Maureen Rouhi)","body":null,"created":"1529351806","gmt_created":"2018-06-18 19:56:46","changed":"1529351806","gmt_changed":"2018-06-18 19:56:46","alt":"","file":{"fid":"231591","name":"2018 Kennda Lynch (by AMR).jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/2018%20Kennda%20Lynch%20%28by%20AMR%29.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/2018%20Kennda%20Lynch%20%28by%20AMR%29.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":243023,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/2018%20Kennda%20Lynch%20%28by%20AMR%29.jpg?itok=D-uRbjfu"}}},"media_ids":["607152"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.cos.gatech.edu\/hg\/item\/598138","title":"Astrobiology Rising at Georgia Tech"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.cos.gatech.edu\/hg\/item\/597124","title":"Georgia Tech Stars in Space Innovation Symposium"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.cos.gatech.edu\/hg\/item\/599425","title":"Georgia Tech To Host 2018 Astrobiology Graduate Conference"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"364801","name":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS)"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"178355","name":"perchlorate"},{"id":"178356","name":"Pilot Valley"},{"id":"178357","name":"perchlorate-reducing microorganisms"},{"id":"174597","name":"Kennda Lynch"},{"id":"52181","name":"James Wray"},{"id":"79441","name":"jennifer glass"},{"id":"123971","name":"Frank Rosenzweig"},{"id":"722","name":"Astrobiology"},{"id":"169176","name":"life on mars"},{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"166882","name":"School of Biological Sciences"},{"id":"166926","name":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA. Maureen Rouhi, Ph.D.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDirector of Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCollege of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maureen.rouhi@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}