Facultative Works

DARK MICROBIOME How different are the conditions on Mars compared to those on Earth? Surprisingly, there is a climatic analogue to Mars on Earth — the Atacama Desert in Chile, one of the oldest and driest deserts in the world. Extreme dryness, a rocky landscape, high levels of ultraviolet radiation, and the presence of perchlorate salts make this region an ideal site for studying the potential for life on Mars. However, research shows that even on Earth, modern equipment struggles to detect signs of life in such harsh conditions. When microorganisms are found in the Atacama, most of them belong to the so-called “dark microbiome” — organisms with an unknown lineage that are difficult to study thoroughly because they cannot be cultured in laboratories due to the vastly different conditions in which they live.

Балансируя на грани скульптуры, цифрового искусства и научной фантастики, авторы Facultative Works @facultative.works стремятся взглянуть на обыденное под новым углом и в каждом проекте напомнить зрителю, что мир интереснее, чем кажется. Предметы мебели и декора от Facultative Works доступны для заказа на сайте SAMPLE.

OXYGEN GENERATOR We breathe oxygen so our mitochondria can turn sugars into energy — the main fuel for our bodies. Some microorganisms, however, use nitrogen, sulfur, or hydrogen compounds instead. These produce less energy, so it was long thought only single-celled organisms could live this way. But about 10 years ago, scientists discovered Spinoloricus cinziae, a tiny, jellyfish-like multicellular creature from the Mediterranean Sea. Its cells contain hydrogenosomes — organelles like mitochondria, but using hydrogen instead of oxygen. This showed that multicellular life can survive without oxygen, reshaping our view of possible life on Earth and beyond.

SHADOW BIOSPHERE The shadow biosphere is a mysterious phenomenon in biology, suggesting the existence of alternative forms of life on Earth that evolved independently from the organisms we know. These creatures may use radically different biochemical processes—such as storing their genetic information not in DNA, or obtaining energy from sources other than carbohydrates, as is typical for life forms we are familiar with. It is believed that such life forms exist in extreme conditions and remain undetected due to the limitations of current technologies and search methods. Despite the lack of direct evidence for the existence of a shadow biosphere, research continues. Successful findings could not only confirm the presence of such organisms on Earth but also provide key insights for the search for life beyond our planet. This work is part of the ‘Beta Explorer’ project, which took place at the @masters_digital_gallery ✨

HOMO SOLUS Will we meet human-like beings beyond Earth? It’s Unlikely, because humanity itself nearly went extinct. A 2023 genetic study suggests that 900,000 years ago, our ancestors’ population dropped to just 1,280 individuals, staying that low for 117,000 years due to climate change and resource competition. Despite this, Homo sapiens survived and became the most numerous human species—yet the only one. For comparison, there are 25 macaque species and 28,000 orchid species. But in the past, at least three other human species—Neanderthals, Denisovans, and Homo erectus—coexisted. However, they went extinct due to climate change and competition with Homo Sapiens. This work is part of the ‘Beta Explorer’ project, which took place at the @masters_digital gallery ✨

COSMIC BODY What will other planets and life on them be made of? There is a strong temptation to think that they will be made of some unknown, strange elements never seen on Earth. However, most likely, they will consist of the same elements found everywhere else in the universe—elements from the periodic table. After all, everything in the universe originated after the Big Bang, during the early stages of its formation. For example, a meteorite—such a mysterious cosmic body—consists of fairly common and well-known elements: magnesium, iron, silicon, and oxygen. However, there is a high likelihood that unknown elements and substances do exist in space, particularly in extreme environments such as the depths of stars and black holes. Scientists can also synthesize new elements in laboratories, many of which do not occur naturally on Earth. These synthetic elements, such as nihonium, flerovium, and oganesson, are typically highly unstable and exist only for fractions of a second before decaying. But even if life exists in such extreme environments, it is unlikely that we could interact with it in any way we currently understand. This work is part of the ‘Beta Explorer’ project, which was created in collaboration with @masters_digital_gallery 🙏

SYMBIOSIS Cooperation is one of the key drivers of evolution, highlighting the importance not only of individual organisms but also of their interactions with neighbors. One of the most significant symbiotic events in the history of life occurred about a billion years ago when several simple bacteria came together to form a more complex organism — the ancestor of what we now know as the eukaryotic cell, complete with a nucleus, mitochondria, and other organelles. Each “participant” in this union assumed a specialized role, creating a surplus of energy that paved the way for the emergence of multicellular organisms — the precursors to modern animals and plants. A vivid testament to this ancient symbiosis can still be found in mitochondria and chloroplasts, the cell’s primary “powerhouses.” These organelles were once free-living bacteria but have since become indispensable components of contemporary animal and plant cells. Both mitochondria and chloroplasts retain their own DNA and share ancestry with modern bacteria that continue to live independently outside of host cells. This work is part of the ‘Beta Explorer’ project, which took place at the @masters_digital gallery ✨

WATER No organism capable of living without water is currently known. Even the most drought-resistant creatures require a minimal amount of water to sustain their metabolism. This is why the search for life on other planets is often tied to the search for water. However, water is not unique to Earth. The closest planet to us where traces of water have been found is Mars. There is evidence that Mars once had seas on its surface; today, we see only remnants of ice, but recently, three underground lakes have been discovered beneath its surface. Liquid water might also exist beneath the icy crusts of Europa (a moon of Jupiter), Enceladus, and Titan (moons of Saturn). Particularly intriguing is Titan, where there is indeed liquid present—but it is not water. On Titan, methane rains fall from the skies, and the rocky landscape is dotted with ethane lakes. This work is part of the ‘Beta Explorer’ project, which took place at the @masters_digital gallery

INHABITED BARRENS Habitable planets are often depicted as lush and green, but evidence suggests that the ancestors of plants were responsible for one of the most massive extinction events in Earth’s history. Around 2.7 billion years ago, our planet resembled a rocky wasteland covered in volcanoes. Its atmosphere was dense with carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, and methane, with almost no oxygen present. Yet, life—primarily in the form of simple microorganisms—had already existed for billions of years. Over time, small colonies of cyanobacteria (commonly known as blue-green algae) developed the ability to perform photosynthesis. This groundbreaking process released oxygen as a byproduct, which turned out to be toxic to most existing life forms. As plants and other photosynthetic organisms spread across the Earth, they fundamentally transformed ecosystems, often wiping out the old ones in the process. However, this shift paved the way for new species capable of thriving in an oxygen-rich environment, which offered a far more efficient way to extract energy compared to earlier metabolic methods. This dramatic transformation marked the beginning of a new era, where oxygen-breathing organisms would eventually dominate life on Earth.

Capsule Isolated caves are true capsules of alternative life, which continue to be discovered to this day. One good example is the Movile Cave, accidentally found 38 years ago during construction work. The cave had been completely isolated from the outside world for at least 5,5 million years. The atmosphere inside is vastly different from the norm: oxygen levels are 2–3 times lower, while carbon dioxide levels are 100 times higher. Additionally, the air is saturated with hydrogen sulfide and methane. 37 unique species of living organisms were discovered in the cave, none of which exist anywhere else on Earth. Interestingly, life in the cave has been sustained independently of solar energy for millions of years. Unlike most ecosystems, its food chain is not based on photosynthesis but on chemosynthesis—a process in which bacterias convert chemical compounds into nutrients. These bacteria, in turn, form microbial mats on the walls and water surfaces. Herbivores feed on these microbial mats, and predators hunt the herbivores, completing the unique cycle of life in isolation. This work is part of the ‘Beta Explorer’ project, which was created in collaboration with @masters_digital_gallery 🙏

Genetic engine . The word “mutations” often carries a negative connotation in popular culture, but they are actually the primary drivers of evolution. A mutation is an inheritable change in DNA that can have negative, neutral, or positive effects. An example of a beneficial mutation in humans is the CCR5-Δ32 mutation, which makes people less susceptible to HIV. This mutation results in the absence of a receptor on the cell surface through which the virus enters cells. People with this mutation have a significantly reduced risk of contracting HIV and experience a slower progression of the disease if infected. This work is part of the ‘Beta Explorer’ project, which was created in collaboration with @masters_digital_gallery 🙏

Sulfur rivers During photosynthesis, plants use light to create sugar from carbon dioxide and water while releasing oxygen. However, three and a half billion years ago, before the emergence of plants and the photosynthesis we are familiar with, there was another process for harnessing energy from light — anoxygenic photosynthesis. In this process, oxygen was not released, and instead of water, sulfur compounds like hydrogen sulfide, known for its strong smell of rotten eggs, were used. It wasn’t until a billion years later that some organisms developed the photosynthesis we know today. Interestingly, ancient organisms that utilize anoxygenic photosynthesis still exist — these include purple bacteria, acidobacteria, and some archaea