Human Elements: Climbing for the origins of life

Sarah Hoffman

Sarah Hoffman • Apr 19, 2025

Apr 27, 2020

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          <article>
            <header>
              <hgroup>
                <h1>Human Elements: Climbing for the origins of life</h1>
                <h2><p>Dr. Robin Kodner regularly goes to extremes in the name of science. That’s because the microscopic algae she studies live only on glaciers and snowfields high in the mountains. At 2 billion years old, these single-celled colonies predate plants, animals and even fungi. By observing these archaic creatures, Robin</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/shoffman-kcts9-org/">Sarah Hoffman</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Apr 27, 2020</time></p>
            </header>
            <p>Dr. Robin Kodner regularly goes to extremes in the name of science. That’s because the microscopic algae she studies live only on glaciers and snowfields high in the mountains. At 2 billion years old, these single-celled colonies predate plants, animals and even fungi. By observing these archaic creatures, Robin can learn how all life evolved in the very beginning — and how it might survive into the future.</p>
          </article>

Dr. Robin Kodner regularly goes to extremes in the name of science. That’s because the microscopic algae she studies live only on glaciers and snowfields high in the mountains. At 2 billion years old, these single-celled colonies predate plants, animals and even fungi. By observing these archaic creatures, Robin can learn how all life evolved in the very beginning — and how it might survive into the future.

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By Sarah Hoffman

Sarah Hoffman is a senior video producer at Cascade PBS, focusing on science and the environment. Previously she worked as a visual journalist for the Omaha World-Herald and The Dallas Morning News. F