What may look like green slime growing on a pond is what scientists call a microbial mat. Microbial mats are living examples of the most ancient biological communities on Earth. As Earth’s earliest ecosystems, they are important to understanding the history of life on our planet and are useful models for the search for life elsewhere.
During this episode of NASA Now students will learn about microbial mats and see how research into these mats is helping NASA scientists understand how microbes impact Earth, and how this information is used in the search for life elsewhere.