00:00We all know that space missions come with a hefty price tag.
00:04To break it down, a ticket to space for an astronaut starts at around $20 million and
00:09can soar up to $50 million.
00:12NASA may be a well-funded organization, but you can bet they're always on the lookout
00:16to cut costs and save millions wherever they can.
00:20Plus, NASA has long realized they do not need to go to Saturn's moon to study if there's
00:25life there.
00:26They already have the suitable conditions for extraterrestrial life in Wyoming.
00:31If that resonates with you, then you already understand why NASA is so interested in Yellowstone.
00:38To explore life beyond Earth, we need to study environments that mimic extraterrestrial conditions.
00:44That's where all those hot springs come into play.
00:46Now, it's not the entire park that piques NASA's interest.
00:50Let's leave the bears, moose, and other Earthlings to our local biologists.
00:55The real hot spot is the geysers, where microbial life flourishes.
00:59By the way, Yellowstone has more geysers and hot springs than the rest of the world combined.
01:06In some of them, water can reach temperatures as high as 192 degrees Fahrenheit.
01:11You might think, hey, that's only good for steeping tea.
01:15But here's the thing.
01:16Life in the form of microbes not only survives but thrives in these extreme conditions, having
01:22adapted specifically to them.
01:25So could these microbes help us find life on other planets?
01:29Absolutely!
01:30Now, let's shine the spotlight on the real superstar – the Grand Prismatic Spring.
01:36It's packed with silica, which gives it that stunning color.
01:40Silica reflects sunlight, especially the blue wavelengths, which is why it looks so vibrant.
01:46The coolest part, though, is not the color, but the fact that this spring can teach us
01:50a lot about how life evolved.
01:53Way back around 4.5 billion years ago, living things didn't know how to harness energy
02:00from sunlight yet, so they were using chemical processes instead, just like they do now at
02:06the Grand Prismatic Spring.
02:09But why are we talking about other planets?
02:11Well, if life on Earth kicked off in a comparable way to what we see in Yellowstone, there's
02:16a good chance we could find something similar elsewhere in the Universe.
02:21And if we could nail down exactly how life started here, we could really fine-tune our
02:26search for life on other planets.
02:29Geysers, very similar to those in Yellowstone, can be found on moons like Enceladus, which
02:35orbits Saturn, and Triton, which is a moon of Neptune.
02:39But how do they compare to the geysers we see in Yellowstone?
02:43While back in 1989, NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft made a groundbreaking discovery when it spotted
02:50geysers on Triton.
02:52This was the first time anyone had seen a geyser outside of Earth, not counting the
02:56volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon, Io, that were found by Voyager 1 in 1979.
03:02Since then, more geysers have been found on other moons in our Solar System.
03:08In Yellowstone, geysers are heated by hot water from deep within the Earth.
03:12However, geysers on some of the outer moons get their heat from tidal forces, the gravitational
03:18pull from the big planets they orbit.
03:20You know how ocean tides on Earth are affected by the Moon and the Sun?
03:24Well, these moons experience something similar, but on a much larger scale.
03:29Beneath the icy surfaces of these moons are warm, salty oceans that stay liquid because
03:35the thick ice above keeps them insulated.
03:37As the moons move closer and further from their parent planets, the constant tugging
03:42creates heat, causing the warm water below to shoot out into space whenever there's
03:47a crack in the ice.
03:50This icy crust and the warm water underneath are a bit like a frozen pond on Earth.
03:55But could there be life swimming around in these hidden oceans, just like there are critters
04:00thriving beneath the ice of a pond?
04:03That's something scientists want to find out.
04:07NASA hopes to send advanced spacecraft to explore these distant moons and look for signs
04:11of life.
04:12But those warm oceans are buried miles beneath the frozen surface.
04:16So how do we reach them?
04:18The answer may lie in geysers.
04:23In February 2019, a group of planetary scientists decided to visit Yellowstone in the winter
04:28to study the similarities between Earth's geysers and those in space.
04:33They know that Yellowstone's geysers are home to some tough little microbes called
04:37extremophiles, which thrive in extreme conditions like hot or acidic water.
04:43The researchers wanted to learn as much as they could about these microbes and the environments
04:48they live in.
04:49They brought along a bunch of scientific tools to measure things like temperature, pH levels,
04:54and oxygen in the water.
04:56They also used special instruments to analyze the chemicals in the ice and rocks and sniff
05:01the air for gases.
05:02Plus, they collected samples of rock, ice, and water from the geysers, catching tiny
05:07droplets on sheets of foil coated in geyser spray.
05:13Their main target was the Great Fountain Geyser in Yellowstone's Midway Geyser Basin, which
05:18puts on a spectacular show two to three times a day.
05:21However, visiting in winter posed some challenges.
05:25Some scientists were delayed by snowy weather, arriving late at night right before they were
05:29supposed to enter the park.
05:31Then their SUV got stuck in a snowdrift and had to be rescued by a snowplow.
05:37The next day, riding in a snow coach, the team had to trudge through deep snow for nearly
05:43a mile to reach the geyser, keeping an eye out for elk, bison, and even bears.
05:49As they made their way to the Great Fountain Geyser, they took breaks to gather samples
05:53and measurements from other interesting pools along the way, like Lemon Pool and Surprise
05:58Pool.
06:00Even though Yellowstone feels remote, it's not nearly as far away as places like Enceladus
06:05and Triton.
06:06It's a unique natural laboratory that can teach us a lot about life on Earth, and potentially
06:11beyond.
06:13Oh, as for labs, the Great Prismatic Spring may count as one.
06:18Look at these guys.
06:19Under the microscope, they look like matches.
06:22Their official Latin name is Thermus Aquaticus.
06:25They live in this hot spring, and these bacteria have saved millions of people's lives.
06:29Now, if you're skeptical about what I just said, then you need to know that these bacteria
06:34helped to create the basis of PCR tests, widely used in today's medicine to give fast and
06:40precise diagnosis.
06:42Back in the 60s, a microbiologist named Thomas Brock was exploring the park's superheated
06:47thermal pools and stumbled upon something amazing.
06:52Brock was super interested in bacteria that could thrive in extreme conditions.
06:57During his 10-year journey studying geysers and thermal springs, he found a microbe in
07:02a spring called Mushroom Pool that could survive in nearly boiling water.
07:07This little guy, Thermus Aquaticus, turned out to be a game-changer for science.
07:12Why?
07:13Well, it's crucial for a technique called PCR, also known as polymerase chain reaction,
07:20which is used to quickly make copies of DNA samples.
07:23Before Brock's discovery, this process was tricky because the heat could damage the enzymes
07:28that hold DNA together.
07:30But thanks to Thermus Aquaticus, scientists could now heat and cool DNA samples without
07:35breaking them down, making everything faster and easier.
07:39It all happened because researchers had purified an enzyme called tag polymerase out of this
07:45organism.
07:47Those Yellowstone microbes could also be your new go-to for a delicious and sustainable
07:52breakfast.
07:53A unique microbe was discovered there during some NASA-funded research, and it's now
07:57being transformed into tasty vegan breakfast patties and cream cheese.
08:03Originally found in a hot spring, this little wonder is called Fusarium Strange flavolapsis,
08:09and it caught the attention of space enthusiasts as a powerful protein source for long space
08:14missions.
08:15Plus, it requires way less water and land than beef, making it a smart choice for the
08:20planet.
08:22Researchers initially looked at this microbe for biofuel, but soon realized it could be
08:27cultivated into a complete protein with a texture reminiscent of chicken.
08:32Marked as FY, it can be turned into a variety of food products, all thanks to a fermentation
08:37process that keeps it free from contaminants.
08:40Oh, almost forgot, NASA is even working on a bioreactor to grow FY in space!
08:47Stay tuned!
08:49That's it for today!
08:53So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your
08:57friends!
08:58Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!
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