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Slow Life, Dormancy, and Persistence
Microbes in the natural environment usually grow slowly, if at all. This dormant state allows microbial communities to persist as long as millions of years. Indeed, persistence appears to be one of life's distinctive features, essential for its enduring presence on Earth. To explore this idea, this seminar begins by asking the fundamental question ``What is life?'' After reviewing recent advances in understanding dormancy and death, we then examine studies of slow growers in the sea, sediments, soils, and the lab, and consider the relation of persistence to evolution. In the final session, we explore how these ideas and observations inform the search for extra-terrestrial life.