Author: Christopher Rassmann    Major: Biology

An experimental tube containing olivine (right) next to a negative control tube containing none (left). The presence of this single mineral could potentially influence the plausibility of life on Mars.

From the Fall semesters of 2019 to 2020, I have performed research in the biological sciences department under my advisor, Dr. Timothy Kral. The primary goal of my research is to test the viability of methanogen life on Mars. Methanogens are microorganisms that produce methane as a byproduct of energy production via methanogenesis. With a carbon source and hydrogen gas, methanogens can conduct methanogenesis. My project investigates conditions on Mars that might make methanogenesis possible. Olivine, a common mineral on Mars, reacts with water to produce hydrogen gas. Given the discovery of water on Mars, I am testing whether the hydrogen production from this reaction between water and olivine can provide enough of the gas to provide for methanogens undergoing methanogenesis. If my research demonstrates that this is true, then that discovery would increase the plausibility of Martian life.

I spent the Fall semester of 2019 establishing a viable project idea with my mentor, Dr. Kral. In January, I began my preliminary experiment. Due to the nature of the experiment, data readings are only done every three weeks, resulting in a waiting game. Unfortunately, the onset of COVID-19 brought my project to a halt as undergraduates were banned from labs. I had only two readings at that point, and my third was to take place the day after the ban. All I could do was wait until I was allowed back in the lab, as I did not have enough data to make any reasonable conclusions. In September, I was finally able to return. I took one last data reading from the remaining viable tubes, although this reading was obviously not done in accordance with the three-week schedule. My results showed methane production, but not enough to call it ‘real’ growth. With this in mind, I altered my experiment by doubling the media and olivine amounts in the tubes as they were halved for this test run.

Unfortunately, this most recent Fall semester was spent tackling multiple setbacks. My initial experiment was inoculated using some of Dr. Kral’s stock cultures of the four various methanogen species used in his lab, so I had to make my own stocks before continuing. I lost two months’ time making these stocks as one or more of the species kept having problems growing each time I would check them. Once I finally got the stocks to work out, I began my second iteration of the experiment only to run into more problems. For whatever reason, my control groups just were not growing as I took more data points. It also seems that the tubes did not get properly pressurized with gas, reducing the number of data points that can be taken from them. Out of the four species, two of them also had all the experimental tubes go bad after oxygen got in them, further reducing the impact of the experiment. I have since prepared the third run of the experiment while still taking data from the second while I can, and I am pleased to say that it is going well so far. Everything is set up and looking good to go for this upcoming semester of funding, which is quite a relief.

Although I have encountered many hurdles during my conduction of this experiment, I can genuinely say I enjoyed it nevertheless. The Honors College Research Grant has fully allowed me to discover my passion for research, and I plan to incorporate this passion into a major part of my planned future career as a physician