Grantees at Caltech have begun testing a holographic microscope developed for observing microbes in extreme environments—possibly even on other planets. The Submersible Holographic Astrobiology Microscope with Ultraresolution, or SHAMU, will look for movement as a sign of the existence of life. Holography, as opposed to microscopy, collects the light bouncing off of an object in order to reconstruct a full three dimensional image. This method is an advantage in extreme environments where traditional microscope pieces could break more easily. This would make the microscope an ideal candidate for inclusion on a lander going to Mars, Jupiter’s moon Europa or Saturn’s moon Enceladus.
Read the full article here and see photos from the team’s trip to test SHAMU in Greenland here.
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