Want to know what life may be like on other worlds? One place to start is with a Winogradsky column - a collection of diverse microbial communities, all of which depend on each other. Winogradsky columns are created from organic-rich mud plus light and a food source, such as crumpled-up newspaper. Nature does the rest. Inside a mature column, each layer is the address of a specific type of microbe that lives off the waste products of its neighbor and, in turn, gives off waste products that sustain life in another layer. In this game, players can rearrange the layers to make a happy and healthy community. Remember that you can also make a real column at home.

Instructions/Facilitation Guide PDF

Open within exhibit