Fresh out of college, with your degree in microbiology, you have landed your “first real job” as a scientist with
DuPunt, a company that specializes in development and production of polyurethane derivatives (specialized
plastics). You (and your boss) are not quite sure why DuPunt has a microbiologist on sta , but you are both
about to find out why the company desperately needs one now. Your boss has called you into his o#ce. “Read
this article!” he says, pushing the front page of a major national newspaper across his desk to you.
ELVIS NAKED, SKINLESS UPON RETURN FROM OUTERSPACE!
The recent return to Earth of the unmanned exploration probe ELV from the
Nearby Previously Invisible Planet (NPIP) has provided scientists with important
information about conditions on the surface of this recently discovered planet.
Although physicists have made great advances in understanding how NPIP recently
was “uncloaked,” perhaps the most interesting discoveries are yet to come as
biological scientists begin to analyze the soil samples collected by the probe’s
Extraterrestrial Landing Vehicle Integrated Sampler (ELVIS). Designed to gather
samples and maintain them in their normal atmospheric and temperature conditions,
this collection unit is a sophisticated robot and is the most expensive component of
the ELV probe. Inspired by the acronym for the unit (ELVIS), workers constructed
this robot to resemble music legend Elvis Presley, and even fashioned a white
Spandex jumpsuit to clothe it.
These design features have proven to be a public relations coup, endearing the 2-
foot-tall robot to the public and making it the unofficial mascot of the NASA space
exploration program. This “human connection” has been instrumental in convincing
Congress to provide the necessary funding for the ELV and many related space
exploration programs.
However, the successful completion of the ELV mission has generated a mystery,
one that has led to accusations of contractors providing substandard materials
(in particular defective plastics) used in the ELV or of someone intentionally
sabotaging the plastic components of the ELV in an attempt to embarrass the U.S.
space exploration program.
“ELVIS Meltdown!” by Stewart, Smith and Shields Page !
Upon its return to Earth, the ELV capsule was opened to allow scientists to recover the
soil samples. This was done as part of a special, televised “welcome home” ceremony,
in which ELVIS was supposed to “dance” down the ELV exit ramp and speak his
trademark words, “Thank you … thank you very much for supporting this critical
space exploration mission.”
NASA scientists and on-lookers at the ceremony were shocked to find that ELVIS’s
jumpsuit had been reduced to a slimy puddle. Even more distressing was the
deterioration of ELVIS’s “skin” (a version of Lycra specially developed to resemble
human skin). This too was reduced to a slimy residue that dripped from the metal
“skeleton” of the ELVIS unit. The deterioration of the plastic components of ELVIS
ruined what organizers had planned to be a touching ceremony at the mission’s
completion. ELVIS’s exit from the otherwise intact spacecraft was met by gasps and
screams from the gathered audience. “It was a terrible sight!” said one member of
the audience. “We expected to see the King, but we saw a horrible mess, a grotesque
parody of Elvis. Without his plastics lips, I couldn’t understand a word he said … and
the smell was horrible!” said one NASA official who wished to remain anonymous.
Television viewers were spared much of the trauma of these sights as networks quickly
switched to new episodes of Sponge Bob Squarepants in which a cartoon version of
the ELVIS unit was featured. An investigation is underway.
Stifling your initial reaction (“Oh yeah, new Sponge Bob!”) you manage to mumble, “What a tragedy!”
“Yes. Yes. And this could take an ugly turn for DuPunt!” your boss says. “I’m not sure what caused this mess,
but I do know a couple of things that didn’t make it into that news article: (!) the only plastics showing
damage in the ELV were polyurethanes; and ($) our company provided those polyurethane products to
NASA at a cost of $!, , . We’re in big trouble if we can’t prove that something from that planet is
responsible for destroying ELVIS.”
He continues, “ e polyurethane products we provided were first-rate. We didn’t cut any corners with this
stu . Products from the same batches of polyurethane have been into outer space before, and they returned
just fine. ere must be some explanation other than our incompetence. is is where you come in. I need
you to find that explanation!”
“Why me?” you ask.
“Because of the stink!” your boss answers. “Some of the scientists present at the ELVIS disaster said the smell
reminded them of an old fermenter or an autoclave. ose are microbiology terms, aren’t they?” says your
boss. “ ose comments tell me that this whole stinking mess might be caused by microorganisms—you
know, bacteria, fungi, viruses, germs … something like that. Get right to work on this! You and I will have
to work closely on this, you know. I’ll handle all the communications with the press, and you handle the
science. Just make sure that you explain everything to me so that I can speak about it to the press without
making a fool of myself and DuPunt!”
“ELVIS Meltdown!” by Stewart, Smith and Shields Page $
Okay. You are a trained scientist … you can do this! What do scientists do? ey answer questions by
testing specific hypotheses. As a microbiologist at DuPunt you must determine what has happened to the
polyurethane. Here is your hypothesis:
e degradation of polyurethane products was caused by a microorganism or microorganisms present in
the soil samples collected by ELVIS.
Questions
!. Using light microscopy, you examine the soil samples and the “goo” from the degraded polyurethane.
Will this approach allow you to observe all microorganisms present in the samples? Why or why not?
What are the limitations of this approach?
$. You use phase contrast microscopy to observe a wet mount of a soil sample (the first picture below) and
a “goo” sample (the second image below) from the ELVIS. In what ways are the potential ET microbes
similar to microbes previously characterized on Earth? In what ways are they di erent? How could
you determine whether the microbes present in the soil or goo samples are phylogenetically similar or
distant from known microorganisms on Earth?