The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) has received a $750,000 grant from NASA’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). The funding will support research into underground ecosystems that use radiation, rather than sunlight, as an energy source. This work may help inform NASA’s search for life beneath the surfaces of Mars and other icy bodies in the solar system.
“This award highlights the strength of our institutions and the talent of Nevada’s researchers,” said Board of Regents Chair Byron Brooks. “By working together, DRI, UNR, and UNLV are advancing discoveries that not only contribute to scientific progress but also strengthen Nevada’s role in meaningful research and innovation.”
The project will study radiolytic ecosystems—environments where life is sustained by energy produced when radiation splits water molecules. This process generates hydrogen and oxygen compounds that microbes can use for survival deep below ground.
Researchers note that most planetary surfaces beyond Earth are considered inhospitable to life. Many scientists believe that subsurface environments offer the best possibility for finding extraterrestrial organisms within our solar system. The study could also improve understanding of how early life developed on Earth.
The NSHE team plans to collect samples from underground locations in Nevada and the Southwest United States. Laboratory analysis will examine how microbial communities survive using byproducts from radiation exposure. These findings are expected to help NASA develop new methods for detecting signs of life in subsurface settings on other planets.
This initiative involves collaboration between NSHE institutions—the Desert Research Institute (DRI), University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), and University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)—and NASA’s Ames Research Center. Duane Moser of DRI leads the research team with co-investigators Brian Hedlund from UNLV and Wendy Calvin from UNR. Their combined expertise covers subsurface microbiology, microbial ecophysiology, and planetary geology. The project will also offer opportunities for postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduates to engage in research activities.
“Driving research and innovation that solves problems and prepares students for the future is a key priority of the Board of Regents,” said NSHE Chancellor Matt McNair. “This project demonstrates how our institutions work together and partner with NASA to achieve both scientific discovery and student opportunity.”
“By studying how radiation fuels life in underground environments on Earth, we can better target where and how to search for life on Mars and icy worlds,” said Dr. Eric Wilcox, Nevada NASA EPSCoR project director. “The work also has the potential to shed light on how life began on Earth, which is one of the most profound questions in science.”
For further information or interview requests, contact Elizabeth Callahan at ecallahan@nshe.nevada.edu or 702-522-7021.