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Alison Murray
Assistant Professor |
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How heavy is a gumby suit? Student
Name: Lucien
State: VA Country: USA
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Lucien, Gumby suits are pretty heavy - I'd guess 20 lbs at least. You'd work up a pretty good sweat in one if you had to wear it around! |
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Are there any similarities in the adaptations of the animals around the vent and the desert? If so, please specify how animals in both of these extreme heat locations survive. Student
Name: Collin
State: PA Country: USA
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Hi Colin, interesting question. Since I don't actually work in real desert environments right now - I will give my best guess. The challenges that the cell experiences to resist heat are similar. |
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We are interested in learning more about the substrate of the ocean floor around hydrothernal vents and diffuse flow. We are designing an experiment that will compare cement to brick. What we would like to know is, would a 6 inch diameter cement circle, a 6 inch long cement rectangle, and a 6 inch long brick be able to withstand the pressure at 2500 meters? Thank you very much. Student
Name: 5th Grade Oceanography Class
State: MD Country: USA
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In reality, they'd all be able to withstand the pressure. The key is air spaces. Assuming that the brick is baked (as most bricks are) and the concrete is poured so that the air is allowed to escape (trapping only very small air bubbles), both would survive regardless of the shape. It's important to note though that neither is as strong as the basalt on the ocean floor. |
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How did you, a person interested in marine biology, end up in the desert in Nevada? Student
Name: Alyssa, Alex, Michael & Andrew
State: PA Country: USA
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This is a question that I get asked often! It's somewhat random, but all in all working out just great. DRI provided a great opportunity to start up my research program with lots of support and resources to make it a worthwhile adventure. DRI is in the desert but the scientists there work to solve environmental questions in many different environments in many different places around the globe. |
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At what depth does the pressure become unbearable for any obeject to stay at normal shape or size? Thank you! Student
Name: Heather
State: NM Country: USA
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Heather - I don't actually know the answer to your question. It depends on what the object is made of. If it has any air in it - it will get compressed, but none of the organisms in the deep sea have gasses in their bodies. In the very deepest trenches there is a limited diversity of organisms that can live there though - so pressure at extreme depths (much deeper that what we're diving at here) can be a real challenge to different organisms. |
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On the Web it says that the Pompeii Worm is the hottest animal. And it also says that it lives in conditions of 175 degees F. So, if it is the hottest animal, what kind of animals live near the chimney's with the conditions of 250 to 300 degees F? Student
Name: Sarah
State: MS Country: USA
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Hi Sarah, there are not many (or really any) organisms on the chimney where it's 250-300 degrees F. There are probably some bacterial mats that set up near those temperatures - but one thing to keep in mind is that the temperatures really fluctuate so that the bacteria likely don't live in sustained temperatures of > 250 F for long. |
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What influenced your decision on becoming a research scientist. And what major classes were needed to obtain this goal? Student
Name: Samantha
State: MA Country: USA
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Hi Samantha, hmmm. Tough question to answer briefly - I think that there were lots of things that influenced my decision on this career. I grew up in a place that lent itself to appreciating the natural environment (Carmel, California), I had a great course in marine science when I was in high school and that helped motivate my interest at University. Courses in chemistry, physics, math, biology all provide the well-rounded science background that you need before specializing in a particular research area. |
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How many years did it take you to become an assistant profesor at the Desert Research Institute? Student
Name: Manuela
State: MA Country: USA
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Manuela, it took a few years! Beyond my undergraduate degree, I studied to get a master's degree for 2 1/2 years, then to earn my Ph.D. for another 4 1/2 years. Following the formal training, I had a postdoctoral assistantship for 2 years prior to getting my position at DRI. I've been there now for almost 4 years. |
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What do hydrothermal vents have to do with us, and why do you study them? Student
Name: Karen
State: MA Country: USA
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Good question Karen, I haven't answered this one yet. Hydrothermal vents really have nothing to do with "us" humans directly. But the vent environment and the life that exists there has been an amazing discovery that has revealed how entire other life forms live supported entirely off of chemical energy (not light-driven energy like photosynthesis). This has helped understand a lot of things about the requirements to support life on earth, and potentially other planets. |
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How do you pick the dive sites? Student
Name: Ryan & Tony
State: MA Country: USA
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Ryan and Tony - we select the dive sites each day to accommodate all the different scientists needs on board the ship. For most of the dives we've been collecting Alvinella pompejana from different chimneys in differing temperature zones so that we can develop a good picture of the diversity of environments that they inhabit. |
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Do you have to be a certain age to be on the crew of the Alvin? If so, how old do you have to be? Student
Name: Katie
State: CT Country: USA
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Hi Katie - there isn't an age requirement for being part of the Alvin crew, but the crew all have gone to college, and most have studied some kind of engineering. |
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What is your favorite part of working on the Atlantis and around the Alvin?
Student
Name: Elise
State: CT Country: USA
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Elise, my favorite part is diving in Alvin first (what an opportunity to see another world!), and the interactions and conversations with the scientists, Alvin and ships crew second. |
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Do you go back and explore the same place every year? Student
Name: Emily
State: CT Country: USA
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Hi Emily - this is my second year out here, and we have come to the same site, 9N. We have also visited some of the same Alvinella coated chimneys/mounds, but there have been a lot of changes from last year such that several of the chimneys that we worked on last year either aren't as active geothermally, or biologically, and others are more active. There's even a new site that wasn't even there last year that is covered with a healthy colony of Alvinella. |
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Is there a fish or other sea creature thats eats the pompeii worm? If so, what is it? Student
Name: Kerry
State: CT Country: USA
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There are a number of crabs that hang out around the chimney/Alvinella mound areas that grab the worms when they can get a hold of them. |
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Is the chitin of the tubeworm the same has the chitin in other arthropods at sea level? Student
Name: Rodney
State: NC Country: USA
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Hello Rodney - I think that chitin is the same, the chemical composition of it. It changes in thickness, flexibility etc. in different organisms. |
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While diving in Alvin have you experienced any claustrophobia, or does the experience outweigh any personal fears you may have? Student
Name: Sharon
State: WV Country: USA
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Hello Sharon, I never did experience claustrophobia, though it is kind of cozy in there! I think that the experience definitely outweighed the fears (which were getting seasick or having to pee). |
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During the video clip of the Pompeii worm posted on December 8, there appears to be bubbles occasionally floating past the Alvin camera. Are these bubbles coming from the Pompeii worm or from some other structure on the ocean floor? Or is Alvin causing the bubbles? Student
Name: Mrs. Nichols' 8th Grade Honors Science
State: LA Country: USA
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Hi there - I had a look at the video and don't think that what you saw were bubbles. They were probably bits of particulate matter spewing out from the vent -- this happens all the time. The other thing to notice is the shimmering water -- this is hot water that has a different density than the surrounding cold water. |
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What is your favorite part about being on the research vessel? Student
Name: Kellie
State: TX Country: USA
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Hi Kellie, my favorite part is diving in Alvin first (what an opportunity to see another world!), and the interactions and conversations with the scientists, Alvin and ships crew second. |
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Where is the vent crab on the food chain? Student
Name: Maryah
State: OK Country: USA
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Hi Mayrah, the vent crab is a scavenger in the food chain. They'll eat just about anything, including the Pompeii worm. |
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Dear Dr. Murray,
Why were you chosen for this mission & why did you accept? Student
Name: Mary & Arianna
State: NJ Country: USA
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Hello Mary and Arianna, I wasn't exactly "chosen" for this mission per se, I have a project with Dr. Cary in which we proposed to do this project a few years ago. We have planned for this then for quite some time. |
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How do tubeworms live in so much heat and pressure? Student
Name: Sean, Lindsey & Brendan
State: NJ Country: USA
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The tubeworms actually don't live in the real hot zones, they like to live in the diffuse zones where they get a little heat (2-8 degrees C above ambient seawater), and the reduced sulfur compounds that their symbionts require to live. They have hemoglobin that has specially adapted to the pressure, but at the depth that they're living at I'm not aware of other modifications their bodies have for pressure adaptation. |
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How are the bacteria able to receive nourishment from the association with the Pompeii worm? Student
Name: Sara
State: WI Country: USA
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Hi Sara, great question - and one that we're working on to better understand the answer. It is possible that the bacteria are able to receive nourishment perhaps from the mucous/sugar matrix that the worm produces - though we're not sure at this point. |
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Would the Alvinella pompejana worm survive on the continental slope? Student
Name: Emma
State: MA Country: USA
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Emma, the Pompeii worm would not survive on the continental slope unless there were the same chemical/vent environment there. It is found only in vent environments, and relies on the chemistry, and likely the bacterial symbionts to survive there. |
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At what age were you inspired by the ocean? Student
Name: Joseph
State: FL Country: USA
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Joseph - good question. I don't exactly know - I grew up on the coast and went to the beach often. In terms of science, I had a great marine science course in high school that I took that I really enjoyed. After that I always thought it would be great to work in marine sciences - though never knew if that would really happen. As it turns out I've found many different opportunities, and have really enjoyed them. |
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What is bioluminescence? Student
Name: Katie
State: WV Country: USA
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Katie, bioluminescence is probably most simply defined as light (luminescence) that is produced by organisms (bio). Many organisms in the ocean have the ability to bioluminesce - when we're going down in Alvin there is this great light show that happens out the porthole with these little sparks of light. You might see this in the summertime with the fireflies in West Virginia! Same phenomena can be produced a number of ways. |
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What is genomics? How is it important to your expedition? Student
Name: Allison & MaRae
State: LA Country: USA
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Hi Allison and MaRae, good question! Genomics is the study of the DNA sequence information that is coded in an organism's genome. All forms of life from single cells to humans have a genome. By studying what the code of the genome means we can better understand the organism. In our case, genomics is helping us understand the biology of the epibionts that live on the back of the Pompeii worm. The project that Dr. Cary and I are working on involves using the genome of the Alvinella pompejana epibionts to learn about their biochemistry, physiology, ecology, and history. I'm particularly interested in better understanding how the epibionts survive the hostile environment they inhabit - which genomics is helping us figure out. |
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How long have you been going on these expeditions? Student
Name: Whitney & Lindsey
State: WA Country: USA
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Hello Lindsey and Whitney, this is my second expedition to the hydrothermal vents. I've been going on other field expeditions - mainly to the Antarctic since 1995. |
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Do you think it is possible that in the future humans could live on the ocean floor. Student
Name: Carly
State: WA Country: USA
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Hi Carly - Yep - I do think it is possible to live on the sea floor. In Florida there's a marine lab that is under the sea - not that deep - but it's the first step. I'm not sure how long people stay there at a time though. I also know that in the Pacific Ocean there is a plan to make several undersea observatories where people will be able to stay for extended periods. |
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Why did you call the Erebus Ice Tongue the most exotic place on Earth? Student
Name: Matt
State: MI Country: USA
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Hi Matt, This was a really awesome place. It lies below an active volcano, Mt. Erebus, that is covered in snow. From up on this massive ice structure that stretches from the base of the volcano to the ocean you get an incredible 360 degree view of the area which includes a long mountain range, a beautiful sea-ice covered bay, and the volcano itself. The vastness of the landscape there is quite striking. |
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Have you ever gotten homesick while out at sea? If so, what do you do to get over it? Student
Name: Katie
State: MI Country: USA
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Hi there Katie, Good question - On this short of a trip (3 weeks) I don't really get too homesick. The thing I miss most I suppose is being on land! Since we have email to communicate with friends and family it's at least pretty easy to communicate. |
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