My research concerns the abilities of photosynthetic organisms to cope with environmental stress.  Extreme temperatures, drought, high light intensity and other factors can result in damage to and by the photosynthetic apparatus.  I am the webmaster and program editor for the annual Western Photosynthesis Conference in Pacific Grove, CA. 

I also investigate the possibilities of life on other planets.  Did life evolve on Mars, Europa or other worlds?  If so, is it similar to life on Earth or something completely different?  If not, could life be introduced there?  Recently, my lab worked with Techshot, Inc. to simulate situations in which Mars might be made habitable (planetary engineering). 

Lyon College students actively participate in my research.  Presentations and publications marked with (*) have one or more undergraduate authors. 
 

Summer 2005 Thomas lab members with the Techshot Ecopoeisis Testbed (Mars simulator).  Left to right: Laura McWilliams, Dr. Dave Thomas, Tiffany McSpadden, John Boling.  Click on the image for a larger photo.	2006-07 Thomas lab research students at the 16th Western Photosynthesis Conference in Pacific Grove, CA.  Left to right: Desiree Parish, Michelle Eubanks, Camille Chan.  Click on the image for a larger photo.

Papers
Most of these papers are available as PDF files.  Click on the links.

D. J. Thomas, J. Boling*, P. J. Boston, K. A. Campbell, T. McSpadden*, L. McWilliams*, and P. Todd, 2006.  Extremophiles for ecopoeisis: desirable traits for and survivability of pioneer martian microorganisms.  Gravitational and Space Biology, 19(2):91-104

N. A. Thomas, P. Todd, G. W. Metz, M. A. Kurk, D. J. Thomas, 2006.  Performance evaluation of a laboratory test bed for planetary biology.  Gravitational and Space Biology, 19(2):131-132.

D. J. Thomas, P. J. Boston, P. Todd, J. Boling*, K. A. Campbell, R. G. Gregerson, A. Holt, III*, T. McSpadden* and L. McWilliams*, accepted for publication.  Early results of ecopoesis experiments in the SHOT martian environment simulator (preprint).  On to Mars 3, Univelt Publishers, San Diego.

D. J. Thomas and S. K. Herbert, 2005.  An inexpensive apparatus for growing photosynthetic microorganisms in exotic atmospheres.  Astrobiology, 5(1):75-82.

D. J. Thomas, S. L. Sullivan*, A. L. Price* and S. M. Zimmerman*, 2005.  Common freshwater cyanobacteria grow in 100% CO₂.  Astrobiology, 5(1):66-74.

D. J. Thomas, 2003. Review of Earth, Life and the Universe... Exploring Our Cosmic Ancestry by Keith Tritton.  Astrobiology, 3(3):645-646.

D. J. Thomas, 2003. Review of The Search for Life in the Universe, Third Edition by Donald Goldsmith and Tobias Owen.  International Journal of Astrobiology, 2(1):75-76.

D. J. Thomas, 2002. Interstellar panspermia revisited again: in defense of life's evolution on Earth. Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, 55(5/6):200-201.

D. J. Thomas, J. Thomas*, P. A. Youderian, S. K. Herbert, 2001.  Photoinhibition and light-induced cyclic electron transport in ndhB^- and psaE^- mutants of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Plant and Cell Physiology, 42(8):803-812.

S. D. Hart*, P. A. Currier and D. J. Thomas, 2000.  Denitrification by Pseudomonas aeruginosa under simulated engineered martian conditions.  Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, 53(9/10):357-359.

D. J. Thomas, 2000. Formation of martian ecosystems. The Case for Mars VI, K. McMillen, ed., Univelt Publishers, San Diego.

D. J. Thomas, 1999. Deep microbes (book review).  Ecology, 80(6):2131-2132.

D. J. Thomas, 1999. An Introduction to the Microbiology Laboratory, 3rd Edition. Lyon College, Batesville, AR.

D. J. Thomas, 1999. Raw terror: E. coli bacteria (video review).  ASM News 65(6):442.

D. J. Thomas, J. B. Thomas*, S. D. Prier*, N. E. Nasso* and S. K. Herbert, 1999.  Iron superoxide dismutase provides protection against chilling damage in the cyanobacterium, Synechococcus sp. PCC7942.  Plant Physiology, 120(1):275-282.

D. J. Thomas, 1998. Physiological Roles of Superoxide Dismutases in the Cyanobacterium, Synechococcus sp. Strain PCC7942.  Ph.D. dissertation, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID. 92 numbered leaves.

D. J. Thomas, T. J. Avenson*, J. B. Thomas* and S. K. Herbert, 1998.  A cyanobacterium lacking iron superoxide dismutase is sensitized to oxidative stress induced with methyl viologen but not sensitized to oxidative stress induced with norflurazon.  Plant Physiology, 116(4):1593-1602.

J. A. Hiscox and D. J. Thomas, 1997.  Genetic modification and selection of microorganisms for growth on Mars.  In From Imagination to Reality: Mars Exploration Studies from the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, Part II, R. M. Zubrin, ed., Univelt Publishers, San Diego.

D. J. Thomas, 1997.  Biological aspects of the ecopoeisis and terraformation of Mars: current perspectives and research.  In From Imagination to Reality: Mars Exploration Studies from the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, Part II, R. M. Zubrin, ed., Univelt Publishers, San Diego.

R. E. Martin, D. J. Thomas, D. E. Tucker* and S. K. Herbert, 1997.  The effects of photooxidative stress on photosystem I measured in vivo in Chlamydomonas.  Plant, Cell and Environment, 20:1451-1461.

V. Magrini, D. Salmi, D. Thomas, S. K. Herbert, P. L. Hartzell and P. Youderian, 1997. Temperate Myxococcus xanthus phage Mx8 encodes a DNA adenine methylase, Mox. Journal of Bacteriology, 179:4254-4263.

J. A. Hiscox and D. J. Thomas, 1995.  Genetic modification and selection of microorganisms for growth on Mars. Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, 48:419-426.

D. J. Thomas, 1995. Biological aspects of the ecopoeisis and terraformation of Mars: current perspectives and research.  Journal of the British Interplanetary Society,48:415-418.

D. J. Thomas, 1994/1995. An Introduction to the Microbiology Laboratory, 1st/2nd Editions. Belleville Area College, IL.

D. J. Thomas, 1993. Sedimentation Characteristics of Giardia intestinalis Cysts—Relevance to Standard Methods of Detection.  M.S. thesis, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA.  42 numbered leaves.

D. J. Thomas and J. P. Schimel, 1991.  Mars after the Viking missions: is life still possible?  Icarus, 91:199-206