Assessment of microbial motility using genomic motility signatures in Badwater Pool, Death Valley National Park

This study focuses on linking microbial motility observed under a digital holographic microscope to genomic motility signatures in environmental samples from Badwater Pool in Death Valley National Park. As Badwater Basin sits at the lowest point in North America, Badwater Pool represents a unique saline aquatic environment in an otherwise extremely hot and arid desert. There is value in linking imaging and genomic techniques to observe important phenotypes, such as motility, that have been previously highlighted as potential biosignatures in the search for extraterrestrial life.