One of the world’s leading Antarctic research scientists is in Dunedin to share more than 40 years of stories about his life exploring the icy continent, where he became the first to discover microbial life, deep below the polar ice cap. Since Montana State University distinguished professor John Priscu’s internationally recognised groundbreaking discovery, his research has gone on to transform scientific understanding of how life survives in some of Earth’s most extreme environments. Now it is helping inform Nasa’s search for life beyond our planet, on icy worlds such as Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Enceladus. The 73-year-old will meet University of Otago researchers and academics before delivering a special public lecture at Tūhura Otago Museum, where he will share stories from his work on Antarctica. While Prof Priscu’s work primarily spans the fields of environmental science and Earth and planetary sciences, he has also made significant contributions to subfields such as ecology, atmospheric science, and even pulmonary and respiratory medicine, molecular biology and genetics. Prof Priscu said he was excited to be returning to New Zealand and reconnecting with the country’s strong Antarctic science community. “I’ve always loved visiting this part of the world. “New Zealand has a long and proud connection with Antarctica, and it’s always a pleasure to spend time with the scientists, students and communities that continue to advance our understanding of the polar regions.” Museum natural science curator Kane Fleury said hosting Prof Priscu was a rare opportunity for both the public and the scientific community. “It’s incredibly exciting to welcome someone of Prof Priscu’s calibre to Tūhura. “His research has fundamentally changed our understanding of life in some of the harshest environments on Earth and continues to influence international research into the possibility of life beyond our planet. “We’re fortunate to have such strong connections to Antarctica through both the University of Otago and our own collections and this event gives our community, researchers and industry the chance to hear directly from one of the world’s foremost experts.” The lecture will be held at the museum on Wednesday at 5.30pm. john.lewis@odt.co.nz
