How life survives in the deep subsurface within granite rock is at the heart of my PhD. I isolated an organism from within a mine in Colorado and discovered it has the ability to harness energy oxidizing rock-derived iron for growth. This organism, Ralstonia, lives within tiny pore spaces in granite rock and in fluid circulating through the rock. The sheet behind the dancers and the diagram at the beginning of the video visually model how this bacterium survives in its granite home.

Rueda de Casino is a style of salsa danced in the round with a caller, and the circle in this dance is the bacterium. We perform many complex moves, representing the collection of metabolic reactions happening within the cell that allow it to gain energy from iron oxidation. Bacterial growth is likely to proceed slowly in the subsurface, but this organism is numerically successful among all bacteria living in this specific environment. Our circle splitting and reforming indicates this ecological success.

The friendships I've developed as part of the salsa club Ritmos Latinos have been instrumental in supporting me through graduate school, and I'm honored that these friends have helped me dance my thesis.