The Microbes that call Moab (and maybe Mars) Home*
*(Sorry, not you, Matt Damon)
In this Science on Screen® ode to Moab’s history as a Mars analogue, world-renowned desert ecologist Jayne Belnap explains visual (and possible biological) parallels between this redrock ecosystem and the Red Planet.
Local biologist Terry Dial queried Dr. Belnap, a recent inductee into the National Academy of Sciences, about biological soil crusts, desert varnish, and why we’re all ultimately Martians.
Photos by John Caldwell
