Life in the Freezer

This event has ended.

Great God! This is an awful place’ was Captain Scott’s memorable description of the Antarctic. Yet despite the low temperatures, strong winds and limited availability of liquid water, Antarctica hosts thriving microbial communities.

In this talk, we’ll explore the parallels between microbial adaptations and the strategies employed by humans to survive in extreme cold climates. Different tactics allow microbes to exploit different ecological niches, where they play a crucial role in biogeochemical cycles. Understanding biological and biogeochemical processes in the coldest climates is critical, especially now these extremely specialised systems are undergoing rapid change. We’ll show how we monitor polar microbial ecosystems, and how biological activity in the coldest parts of the world can influence us all.

Please join us for refreshments from 5pm in the VJ Gallery, Main Building, and again after the lecture.