In this video excerpt from NOVA, visit one of the most extreme deserts on Earth—the dry valleys of the Antarctic—that resembles the surface of Mars. Watch as scientists drill into the Mars-like soil and ice, where they discover microorganisms in a film of liquid water at the point where the dirt meets the ice. In activity four from the Education Collection that accompanies this video, students match a microbe to an extreme environment in which it could live using cards that show extremophiles and some of Earth’s extreme environments.

This video is available in both English and Spanish audio, along with corresponding closed captions.