Cave diving, microbes, and slime: A love story
Some people decorate their offices with flowers, family photos, or art. Jennifer Macalady prefers bottles of sludge.
“They’re super cool,” she says, peering at what, at a glance, looks like someone’s smoothie that’s been left out for several days.
The jars actually contain self-sustaining microbial ecosystems known as Winogradsky columns. In the light, layered colors emerge. There’s a purple layer from a sulfur-eating phototroph, a black shade from pyrite, and a green tint from cyanobacteria. A closer inspection reveals a weird and sinuous beauty.
The bottles are fitting decorations for a slime-obsessed scientist who delves into the most-overlooked environments on Earth.
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