In early 2006, unusual algal blooms of two species occurred in the Salton Sea, a large salt lake in southern California. In
mid-January local residents reported bioluminescence in the Sea. Starting in February, large rafts of long-lasting foam,
also bioluminescent, were observed as well. Microscopy investigations on water and sediment samples collected in
March showed the marine dinoflagellate, Alexandrium margalefii, and the prymnesiophyte, Prymnesium sp., both
previously unreported in the Salton Sea, to be abundant. Bioluminescence and foam production continued through
March. Other dinoflagellate species, recorded during earlier studies, were rare or not detected during these blooms.
Despite the fact that many Alexandrium species are known paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) producers, preliminary
saxitoxin tests on this population of A. margalefii were negative. Previous reports on A. margalefii do not mention
bioluminescence. It appears that the foam was caused by the Prymnesium sp. bloom, probably via protein-rich exudates
and lysis of other algal cells, and its glow was due to entrained A. margalefii. This is the first report of A. margalefii in
U.S. waters and the first report of it in a lake.
The worldwide effort to grow nanotechnology, rather than use lithography, focuses on diatoms, single cell eukaryotic
algae with ornate silica shells, which can be replaced by oxides and ceramics, or reduced to elemental silicon, to create
complex nanostructures with compositions of industrial and electronics importance. Diatoms produce an enormous
variety of structures, some of which are microtubule dependent and perhaps sensitive to microgravity. The NASA
Single Loop for Cell Culture (SLCC) for culturing and observing microorganisms permits inexpensive, low labor in-space
experiments. We propose to send up to the International Space Station diatom cultures of the three diatom species
whose genomes are currently being sequenced, plus the giant diatoms of Antarctica (up to 6 mm length for a single cell)
and the unique colonial diatom, Bacillaria paradoxa. Bacillaria cells move against each other in partial synchrony, like
a sliding deck of cards, by a microfluidics mechanism. Will normal diatoms have aberrant patterns, shapes or motility
compared to ground controls? The generation time is typically one day, so that many generations may be examined
from one flight. Rapid, directed evolution may be possible running the SLCC as a compustat. The shell shapes and
patterns are preserved in hard silica, so that the progress of normal and aberrant morphogenesis may be followed by
drying samples on a moving filter paper "diatom tape recorder". With a biodiversity of 100,000 distinct species, diatom
nanotechnology may offer a compact and portable nanotechnology toolkit for space exploration anywhere.
Conference Committee Involvement (1)
Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology XI
12 August 2008 | San Diego, California, United States
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