Diana Northup has been studying things that live in caves since 1984. She has a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of New Mexico. She and her colleagues on the SLIME (Subsurface Life In Mineral Environments) Team are investigating how microbes help form the colorful ferromanganese deposits that coat the walls of Lechuguilla and Spider Cave in Carlsbad Caverns National Park (funded by the National Science Foundation Life in Extreme Environments Program);
Joe joined Dr. Northup’s SLIME team in 2017. He a former non-commissioned officer and maintenance analyst with the U.S. Air Force and graduated from UNM in 2019 with a B.S. in Biology and Chemistry, and a B.A. in German and French. His current scientific research focuses on geomicrobiology and the astrobiological implications of “microbes masquerading as minerals” in lava caves of New Mexico and Hawai`i. This research characterizes the microbial diversity of secondary-mineral deposits, to assess their viability as sampling targets in lava caves on Mars. He also contributes to other projects, especially study analyzing the effects of forest fires on the microbial ecology of caves in Lava Beds National Monument.
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