Thermopolis Hot Spring Research

Astrobiology is an interdisciplinary field dedicated to understanding the biogeochemical processes that may reveal the origin and evolution of life on Earth.  Understanding these processes could lead to an understanding of how life may exist elsewhere in the universe.  This relatively new field, astrobiology focuses on the understanding of habitable environments for life on Earth.  One of the main focuses  of astrobiology is extremophiles, organisms that are able to survive in environments beyond the comfort level of human life (hot, cold, pressure, salinity, acidity, radiation, etc.).   

The Big Spring is located in Hot Springs State Park, approximately 60 miles north of the Central Wyoming College (CWC) campus in Riverton, WY. The hot springs themselves are erupting along an east-west fault line in the Mesozoic sedimentary rocks the flank north side the Owl Creek Mountains.  Rainfall on these mountains moves northward through the sedimentary layers until it reaches the fault zone and flows upward into the springs.  The proximity of these springs to the Yellowstone hotspot volcano is one of the reasons that these springs are hot (approx. 125 F) when they reach the surface.  Our current research reveals a relatively pH neutral, high total dissolved solids (TDS) water, with a variation of microbe morphology with depth and temperature.  Hydrogen sulfide gas, high at the source, is rapidly depleted away from the source.  SEM microscopy exposed intense carbonate crystallization within the microbial mats and filaments.  Preliminary DNA analysis compares the microbial species found in Thermopolis to saline environments around the world, rather than anything found in nearby Yellowstone springs. 

Our project at the Big Spring in Thermopolis, WY, seeks to add to the knowledge base and understanding of the evolution of organisms in a hot springs environment.  Our study began in 2006 and has included water chemistry, DNA analysis, and microscopy. The basic mapping and distribution of microbial communities has led to new questions about the existence of life in this environment.  For the Spring semester of 2013, this project will be used as the main lab activities in our Earth System Science course (GEOL 2000).  Students will begin by learning what has already been done, by doing so themselves, and will take the project beyond this initial phase by pursuing individual research questions.  Students will gain experience in biological, geological and chemical field work, lab work consisting of water chemistry, DNA extraction and amplification of the 16S rRNA gene for bacteria, interpretation of sequencing data, scientific writing and oral presentaion in a public venue.  The final lab activity will be for these students to present their results at the Wyoming Undergraduate Research Day in April.  Those taking this project to a deeper level will be given the opportunity to present their results at a national scientific society meeting later in the year. 

Research at Thermopolis has been support by the Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium, the Wyoming INBRE network (see below) and the Wyoming NSF EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research).

Infectious Disease Study

West Nile Virus (WNV) is an RNA arbovirus in the family Flaviviridae.  While birds are the primary reservoir for the virus, humans can be a dead end host.  In Wyoming, the Culex tarsalis mosquito acts as the primary vector.  Most human infections are asymptomatic.  In less than 1% of infections, however, severe symptoms including paralysis, menengitis, encephalitis, and death may occur.  Fremont County was a hot spot of WNV with 64% of all cases in Wyoming reported in 2007.  Our study proposes the testing of a percentage of the human population of Fremont County to determine the number of people exposed to WNV.  Sera is tested using commercially available IgG and IgM antibody kits. 

At this point in the serosurvey, the methods and materials have been proven to work successfully.  Additionally, the protocols for conducting the ELISA have been refined and reproduced.  The direction of this study has now turned to the broader population of Fremont County.  Blood samples from a broader population have been solicited for serum separation, storage and study.  It is estimated that a minimum of 200 unique samples are needed to adequately study the Fremont County population (approximately 35,000).  The study is conducting ELISA studies on all samples.  Individuals volunteering samples of their blood will answer a questionairre that will determine if the individual has been positively diagnosed for WNV, been vaccinated against other flaviviruses, and if the indivudal has traveled in regions where other flaviviruses are endemic.  Results of this study will help inform public policy decisions about continued mosquito erradication efforts, provide comparison data for Wyoming Game and Fish population studies of mosquitos in Fremont County, and provide data to help Wyoming Department of Health better predict the future of WNV human cases.

The CWC WNV program is support by a grant from the University of Wyoming INBRE (IDeAS Network for BioMedical Research Excellence).