Park City, UT — Swaner EcoCenter is inviting visitors to discover new environments on Earth and in space at Life on the Edge. The exhibit will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, from January 24 through May 10.
Visitors can explore extreme environments on Earth and how they help us understand possibilities for life in our Solar System and beyond. In this hands-on exhibition, explorers will discover that life is hidden in plain sight by examining a colorful microbial colony, learning about the importance of missions to Mars by coding a rover, investigating rover tests in the Atacama Desert, using spectroscopy to detect what light reveals in faraway places, and exploring research taking place right here in Utah’s extreme environments.
“What excites me most about ‘Life on the Edge’ is how the hands-on activities make big scientific ideas accessible to everyone. Visitors can explore, experiment, and experience what it’s like to investigate extreme environments just like real scientists,” said Swaner Visitor Experience Coordinator Brianna Cencak.
In Life on the Edge, visitors will see how microbes contribute to nutrient cycling by using a movable video microscope to investigate a bacterial colony in a Winogradsky. They can also code a rover and plan a route across the Atacama Desert to scan the environment for signs of life like scientists did in preparation for the Perseverance mission.
“This exhibition has been on our list for quite a few years, and we love that we get to bring it to Utah. What better place to learn about extreme environments — from deserts to mountain peaks to the Great Salt Lake — we have such great examples right here. We hope that this exhibition helps our visitors to connect with the natural world around them,”said Swaner Director of Exhibits Hunter Klingensmith.
Visitors can explore realistic models of hydrothermal vent communities that include detailed replicas of black and white smoker vents and discover the diversity of creatures living in the deep sea and how they survive. This exhibit helps people understand how scientists use the transit method to learn about exoplanets by setting a kinetic model of a solar system into motion and watching while a digital display shows dips of light as exoplanets pass in front of the light source.
Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter will pair this exhibition with additional programming to provide the community with ways to learn about and engage with extreme environments right here in Utah. From a family science day to a Great Salt Lake display to the Walks, Talks, & Workshopsseries, there will be something for everyone.
Regular entry for Life on the Edge is $7 for ages 3-64, $6 for those 65 and older or with a valid military ID, and free for ages 0-2. Members of Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter receive free admission to the exhibit. Anyone can visit for free on Jan. 24, Feb. 22, March 20 and April 15 thanks to generous sponsors. View more information on exhibit details and events.
The content in this exhibit is also available in Spanish.
Life on the Edge is produced by Sciencenter in partnership with The Spacecraft Planetary Image Facility (SPIF), and is made possible by the support of NASA. The exhibition is toured by Sciencenter or Ithaca, New York.
This exhibit is made possible locally by Summit County RAP & Restaurant Tax grants, The Kish Foundation and USU Extension 4-H.