Big Think
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What Earth’s undefeatable organisms reveal about survival
Posted
July 1, 2025
Views
91,555
Likes
1,091
Comments
34
Engagement
1.23%
July 1, 2025
91,555
1,091
34
1.23%
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6:47Now PlayingThis interview is an episode from @The-Well, our publication about ideas that inspire a life well-lived, created with the @TempletonFoundation.
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Watch Kaçar’s next interview ► What NASA is really looking for in space
What’s the best way to understand ancient life on Earth? Replicate the conditions it survived in.
NASA astrobiologist Betül Kaçar is recreating conditions from 3 billion years ago to study how microbes have evolved throughout history. By studying the way life once endured a frozen, unstable planet, Kaçar and her team are hoping to find clues for how we might face environmental challenges today and prepare for what’s coming next.
Read the video transcript ►
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About Betül Kaçar:
Dr. Betül Kaçar is a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor and NASA-funded research leader exploring life’s early evolution. Her team has developed methods to uncover ancient biological innovations. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Emory and trained at Harvard in Evolutionary Biology.
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Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds.
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