The Potential Uses of Deep-Sea Microbes

Science for the Public: Working Science
September, 2015 Recorded at the Girguis Lab, Harvard University

Peter Girguis, Ph.D., Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University; Adjunct Research Engineer, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

Professor Girguis, a leader in the study of the exotic microbial life at deep-sea hydrothermal vents, explains the significance of these microbes that thrive beyond the reach of sunlight, and their potential use for generating electricity and eliminating toxins. He also shows the kinds of equipment he has designed for analyzing life in the high pressures and extreme temperatures of the hydrothermal vents environments.