To reach one experimental site — inside Lechuguilla Cave, New Mexico — Diana Northup and her team must venture 350 metres down into the Earth, hiking along several kilometres of obstacle-strewn passages. For days they rappel down pits, traverse narrow ledges bordering steep drops and pristine lakes, and clamber over boulders — all the while carrying heavy packs of equipment. When they finally arrive at their sampling areas, they must change into clean suits, including bonnets and sterile gloves. "It's hard to convey to you how filthy you can become in four to five days," Northup says. "You're just constantly drenched in sweat. These crusts we study get all over you, gypsum gets all over you, and the sweat helps plaster it all onto you. It s just lovely."
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