© Pint of Science, 2024. All rights reserved.
At first extreme environments look all but uninhabitable, but the more we look, the more we find life in all parts of our world and others. From fish stocks responding to human fishing pressures and communities thriving in the deep sea on earth to the prospect of life on Mars, "Life, uh, finds a way" (as Jeff Goldblum once eloquently said).
The Limits of Life on Earth and Beyond
Dr Terence McGenity
(Reader in the School of Biological Sciences)
What are the limits of life? Microbial life has been found in extreme environments across the globe. Are there any environments where microbes are not found and can microbes live forever? This presentation will address the limits of life focussing on ultra-salty environments, such as deep-sea brines, chemically unusual lakes and subterranean salt deposits. Based on our growing understanding of the microbial adaptations to these earthly environments I will discuss the potential for life on Mars and icy moons in our solar system.
Fishes of the Future – How are Fish Adapting to Human Pressures?
Dr Matthew Bond
(Fixed-Term Teacher)
Fish populations are of huge importance to humans, providing 17% of the world’s protein and 90.9 million tonnes of food annually. However, fish populations are under ever increasing pressure from human activity, ranging from fishing, to climate change to sound pollution. How fish are likely to respond to these pressures is the subject of extensive research. Are we going to see the mass extinction or the collapse of stocks? Or have fish got the capacity to adapt and overcome the pressures that face them?
Deep sea: the real final frontier?
Dr Michelle Taylor
(Lecturer)
Join Dr Michelle Taylor for an introduction to the importance of the deep-sea, deep-sea biology, deep-sea habitats, and her latest expedition to the Weddell Sea - one of the most remote deep-sea location on Earth (errr… I mean Sea). We will cover mud, corals, hydrothermal vents, there will be new species on show, and more...
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