Mobile Microbes: Viruses Living in Yellowstone's Hot Springs Travel Near and Far

Viruses living in the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park (YNP) are surprisingly mobile--migrating between Yellowstone hot springs and possibly even reaching worldwide locations, according to a new study. The discovery of the mobility of these extremophiles adds an important new dimension to a growing body of evidence of the ability of viruses, which are the largest reservoir of genetic material on Earth, to move independently of their hosts.The study of the YNP hot sprin More ...

NSF, NASA to Test Lunar Habitat in Antarctica's Extreme Environment

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will use the Antarctica's frigid, harsh, isolated landscape to test a new architecture for astronaut housing on the moon. The agencies are sending a prototype inflatable habitat to the southernmost contient to see how it stands up to a year of use.Officials watched the habitat as it was inflated one last time at a site in Frederica, Del., before it was packed and shipped to McMurd More ...