Life at Extremes

Glaciers may seem like frozen, uninhabitable blocks of ice. After all, who could possibly live there? The water is frozen, the temperatures are extreme, and there is certainly not much to eat. And yet, life does exist here. In my talk, I’ll introduce you to the hidden world of glacier-dwelling microorganisms – tiny but tenacious creatures that defy these challenging conditions. We’ll uncover who they are, how they survive, and the extraordinary adaptations that keep them alive in this extreme environment. And as glaciers rapidly retreat, we’ll explore a pressing question: what happens to these microscopic survivors when their frozen home melts away?

A planet without biodiversity is a planet without life. Biodiversity, both between and within species, drives ecosystem functions and stability in many habitats, including grasslands and forests. Using the combination of experimental and observational approaches, we can quantify the importance of diversity for healthy ecosystems and, by extension, for happy humans.