She is sparkling. Determined. Brilliant. Arya Udry is 32 years old. This native Valaisanne, whose mother lives in Hérémence and who grew up between Brittany and neighboring France, is now a professor of geology and planetology at the University of Nevada, in Las Vegas. A dazzling journey for the one who, while crawling on the mountains of Valais, dreamed of being an astronaut. "To realize this dream, you had to either become a scientist or an airplane pilot."

Despite their microscopic size and simplistic cells, bacteria are some of the hardiest life forms around. In recent years, scientists have uncovered these stalwart microbes in environments as extreme as the searing hot springs in Yellowstone National Park and the acidic, metal-rich waters that drain out of mines.

IN 2013, SCIENTISTS were stunned to find microbes thriving deep inside volcanic rocks beneath the seafloor off the Pacific Northwest, buried under more than 870 feet of sediment. The rocks were on the flank of the volcanic rift where they were born, and they were still young and hot enough to drive intense chemical reactions with the seawater, from which the microbes derived their energy.

It's hard to believe the landscape ever looked any different. But according to new research by UNLV climate scientists, the locations where those jungles exist today likely looked very different less than 9,000 years ago -- a blink of an eye by geologic standards.

Tourists today spend thousands of dollars to explore and enjoy the lush and thriving rainforests of Guatemala.

It’s hard to believe the landscape ever looked any different. But according to new research by UNLV climate scientists, the locations where those jungles exist today likely looked very different less than 9,000 years ago – a blink of an eye by geologic standards.

Arizona’s Department of Environmental Quality is allowing a uranium mine operator to spray water laced with uranium and arsenic on the ground to keep dust down on its site, but it is considering the status of the mine’s permit.

Nevada, because of its rich landscape and diverse history, is often regarded as a playground for geologists and paleontologists around the world.

How far away is “safe”?

Geoscience professor Libby Hausrath is one of 10 scientists chosen by NASA to select and analyze soil samples from the Mars 2020 mission set to launch in July.

If there was ever life on Mars, UNLV researcher Elisabeth “Libby” Hausrath will be one of the first to know.

In the year 2031, a rocket packed with Martian rocks and soil samples will launch from the surface of the Red Planet.

To go big, sometimes you have to start small.