Astrobiology Revealed #3: Anurup Mohanty
Anurup Mohanty on microbe power and human independence in space
By Aubrey Zerkle
This week we had an inspiring conversation with Anurup Mohanty, who is Research Project Staff at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. In addition to his research, Anurup is also a Visiting Scholar at Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, where he channels his passion for science communication. In this Q&A, Anurup shares his journey as a budding astrobiologist and discusses his recent perspectives article, “Toward sustainable space exploration: a roadmap for harnessing the power of microorganisms.” (This interview has been edited for length and clarity.)
I heard you'll be starting a PhD program at Northwestern University in the fall - congratulations! Your future mentor said on social media that "rarely have [they] encountered someone so enthusiastic and rearing to go" - where did your enthusiasm for astrobiology originally come from?
Yes, I am thrilled about it! Thank you. Firstly, I am grateful that she said that.
I think the enthusiasm stems from my excitement and love for science and the scientific method in general. Specifically, astrobiology is such a vast and interdisciplinary field, and the people in this community are so welcoming! Even though I am from a biology background, I have cherished having enticing conversations with colleagues from astronomy and engineering because we share curiosity about the story of life in the universe. And now, I am about to embark on a PhD in Earth and Planetary Sciences.
Moreover, I enjoy learning about new things irrespective of the field and am also the “fun fact teller” in my social circle. This trait influences my passion for science communication, and I am glad I could convey my enthusiasm via this means.
The perspectives article you recently co-authored includes an impressive team of researchers from around the globe - it could be really inspirational for early career astrobiologists to hear how you got involved in writing it?
Oh, that’s an interesting story!
One evening in the Summer of 2021, I was scrolling through Twitter and came across a tweet by Dr Luis Zea about a Decadal Survey Workshop. It sounded intriguing, and I dropped a message to Luis to clarify the participation eligibility criteria. Luis promptly responded, and I joined this late-night meeting only to find more people that I really look up to. That discussion was amazing, and we decided to write a concept paper as a group.
We are really proud of how that paper turned out. The group continued to stay in touch, and we decided to expand the concept paper into a perspective manuscript. Rosa Santomartino and Luis wonderfully managed such a large author team and ensured each input was considered irrespective of the title or position of the contributor.
I was actually amazed seeing how seriously my ideas were taken, considering I am in such an early career stage. This is what I like about science, there is no hierarchy, at least during the discussions.
In terms of the article, can you briefly explain your perception of what "sustainable" space exploration means?
To explain sustainable space exploration, I would use the word independence. Let me articulate it better. Some of the biggest challenges in space exploration are the amount of payload a spacecraft can carry and the time it takes to cover vast astronomical distances. It takes days to reach the Moon and months to reach Mars, and millions of dollars in both cases. If we construct settlements on these celestial bodies, it's obviously not smart to depend on Earth for resources.
So to me, being sustainable is all about using the supplies judiciously and innovating ways to utilize resources that are available in situ, or on the site.
With some help from microbes, settlements can function efficiently by using resources available on the site, or by recycling the waste produced. This not only reduces the need for constant resupply missions but also paves the path for these processes to be implemented in industries on Earth.
Why did you and your colleagues choose to focus on microbes?
Microbes are versatile when it comes to the tasks they can perform, while being resilient to environmental stresses. Microbes already do a lot for us, from helping us produce life-saving medicines to, more recently, giving us access to metals. If given the right medium to grow in, microbes can do what you need them to do. Microbes outperform many chemical and physical processes because they possess enzymes [biomolecules that speed these processes up].
But space is different. There is a lot more research needed to leverage the power of microorganisms better, and we tried to advocate that in the paper as well. Being a group of biologists, mostly microbiologists, it was a no-brainer to choose microbes for this job!
What do you think will be the most important role for microbes in future space exploration?
It’s tough to predict because microbes are capable of so many things. I would say microbes will be crucial in making human habitats on other worlds “more liveable”. Be it scrubbing carbon dioxide or acting as a food source, they can do it all. Although, the latter would require more research and art to make them less gross, rather, yummy.
And what will be the biggest challenge, technological or otherwise, in making that happen?
I think the biggest challenge will be developing bioreactors where microbes can perform these processes efficiently. Microbes grow really quickly and will require extremely clean environments to culture and utilize them. It would be interesting to see how bioreactors are developed that require less human intervention and that are able to perform well in the extremes of space environments. Streamlining processes that involve living organisms is a major challenge, but the pharmaceutical industry has been able to overcome it quite well. Hopefully, we will soon say the same about space exploration.
What lessons can we take away from this for improving sustainable living here on Earth?
Well, the biggest lesson would be to learn how to make the most out of what is available. Microbes cannot magically perform these processes. They need raw materials. In order to obtain raw materials on Earth, industries are eating away extremely precious resources. By making bioreactors and microbial processes more efficient, we can minimize the damage that we cause to the environment and try to make the best out of the waste that we generate.
What's next for you? What type of science do you envision becoming involved in, in the near future, and where do you see your career headed in the more distant future?
I am super excited about starting my PhD. My future advisor, Prof. Magdalena Osburn, runs an “actual geobiology lab”. I said that because the lab is well-equipped with everything you need to answer what, why, and how questions about microbes in any particular environment. And there is some cool fieldwork!
I am still reading papers and books to find my place in this area of research. At the moment, exploring the potential of microbes to thrive beneath the surface of Earth and other worlds sounds very exciting.
I am not very sure about the distant future yet. I love sharing science with people. By taking teaching assistantships and engaging in science communication tasks at Northwestern, I will try to know whether it is students or the public that I genuinely want to communicate with.
Do you have any tips you could share for undergrad students interested in exploring astrobiology?
I remember being extremely lost during my early days as an undergraduate. I am most proud of two things I did.
First, I did a lot of online courses, which were either free to audit or had a financial aid option. Online courses got me excited and introduced me to new areas of science and engineering. They didn't make me an expert, but I got an overview of fields and knew whether or not I wanted to dive deeper.
The second good thing I did was ask. I asked for mentorship, research positions, internships, access to a supercomputer, stipends, recommendation letters, and many other things. I got them all. It never hurts to ask! The worst I got was a "no," but a "no" generally accompanied some feedback, which was equally important. That helped me explore and dive a little deeper into some areas of research, and I intend to continue this. I hope others do too.