Kinohi Institute - Research and Exploration into the Origin, Evolution, and Complexity of Life
Executive Director Michael C. Storrie-Lombardi, M.D.
Soap Lakes, Horizontal Gene Transer, and Adaptation to Cycles of Global Warming from Washington to Antarctica
Galacial melt lakes can be found in all of the continents of our Earth. Examples include Soap Lake in Washington State, Mono Lake (above) in Southern California, and Lake Untersee in Antarctica. The complex microbial communities in these lakes have experienced repeated cycles of global warming and freezing across several billion years of geobiological history. Their ability to adapt to these changes may have contributed to the great diversity of life on Earth . In uncertain times these remarkable communities of tiny organisms may be able to teach humanity methods of adapting to current global climate changes. That possibility is a major driver for the 2008 Tawani International Expedition to Lake Untersee and Schirmacher Oasis, Antarctica.
Limits of Life beneath a Hawaiian Volcano, on Mars, in Ancient Australia, or in the Soap Lakes of Washington State, California, or Antarctica
Kinohi* Institute is a non-profit institute incorporated as a California Public Benefit Corporation to further research and education into the origins of life and the development of novel tools for remote and human exploration of extreme environments and quantitative understanding of genome adaptation to environmental change.
“Understanding the origin of life and its distribution in the Universe is too important to leave to adults.”
From conversations with Alec, age 5, circa 1996
Extremophiles More Than a Kilometer Deep in Mauna Kea
Subsurface microbial life may account for the majority of the Earth’s biomass. The determination of the limits, complexity, and robustness of life in the deep subsurface of the Earth is a core effort of the Institute. In collaboration with colleagues at Oregon State University and JPL/Caltech we have identified microbial life deep inside Mauna Kea volcano. Abs_DeepLife_2003.pdf
Stromatolites and the Exploration of Water-Rich Planets
Stromatolite communities in Shark Bay, Northwestern Australia, are the living fossil representatives of microbial life that may have arisen within the first billion years of Earth's history. Remote and in situ identification of these rock-like formations would be a core requirement for the robotic exploration of water-rich, terrestrial planets orbiting neighboring stars. Abs_Hyperspectral_2004.pdf
*Kinohi (pronounced kee-no'-hee) in the language of the early explorers of the Hawaiian islands means the origin or beginning of all things. The islands offer us a glimpse into the continual appearance, evolution, death, and rebirth of life on our planet. It is a region where life actively explores novel evolutionary solutions to the challenges of an ever-changing terrestrial geology.
**For full papers of any listed abstract, contact M. C. Storrie-Lombardi:
UV laser excitation of nucleic & amino acids in Mauna Kea vesicular basalt from > 1km below Hilo Bay.
Living Stromatolites
Shark Bay, NW Australia
Majestic Tufas of Mono Lake,
high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Southern California
The Fate of Interstellar Organics Beneath the Surface of Mars
The Viking landers found no appreciable organic material on the surface of Mars. What happened to the organics falling onto the Mars surface every day from the interstellar medium for the last 3-4 billion years? In collaboration with colleagues at Mullard Space Sciences Center, University College London and Oregon State University, we have proposed a simple ultraviolet spotlight capable of searching for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) or living organisms hidden beneath the surface of the Red Planet. Abs_UV_Mars_PanCam_2008.pdf
Press Releases: University College London Oregon State University
ESA/Mars Express Wide Angle Camera
