Kusiak, a researcher from the Institute of Geophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, specializes in the geochemistry of early Earth isotopes.
She will soon head to NASA's research center in Houston, Texas, to continue her collaboration with leading scientists, including Justin Simon, a planetary scientist at the Johnson Space Center, who oversees the selection of Martian locations to sample for study.
Kusiak's focus will be on Martian meteorites and lunar samples from the Apollo missions.
Her research aims to fill a significant gap in our understanding of the Earth's early history, particularly the first 500 million years—a period known as the Hadean, marked by extreme heat and volcanic activity, from which very few mineral samples have survived. The oldest known minerals from this era, zircons, date back to 4.4 billion years ago.
By comparing these ancient minerals with samples from the Moon, which is believed to have formed from the Earth following a colossal impact, Kusiak hopes to shed light on the characteristics of Earth's earliest crust.
This innovative approach to studying the origins of Earth using extraterrestrial materials has garnered support from NASA, highlighting the potential for reaching scientific advancements through the collaboration of experts in extraterrestrial and Earth sciences.
The research is being facilitated by a Fulbright scholarship and builds on Kusiak's previous work analyzing lunar meteorites found in Antarctica and samples from the Apollo missions.
Kusiak commented: "We hope to find not only fragments of zircons but also rocks from the Moon, which could tell us something about the characteristics of the Earth's crust from the first period."
Kusiak is no stranger to prestigious awards and scholarships, having been recognized by international and Polish institutions alike, including the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship.
Her research has taken her to some of the most remote and ancient rock formations on Earth, including expeditions to Antarctica, Greenland and Labrador, where she has studied rocks nearly 4 billion years old.
Beyond purely scientific work, Kusiak cherishes the unique experiences these expeditions offer, recounting her awe at the pristine beauty and isolation of Antarctica on her first visit in 2011.
For Kusiak, the pursuit of knowledge in the Earth's oldest rocks goes hand in hand with the profound appreciation of the planet's untouched wildernesses, challenging conventional notions of "paradise" with the stark, icebound landscapes that have become her frequent fieldwork sites.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, polskieradio24.pl
Click on the audio player above for a report by Radio Poland's Michał Owczarek.