Dr. Leda Kobziar, Professor of Wildland Fire Science at the University of Idaho, is a pyroaerobiologist studying the surprising biological components of wildfire smoke.

Last January, as heavily populated parts of Los Angeles burned, images of the disaster brought the destructive power of wildfires into the public consciousness more than ever. Today, as thousands of acres burn in the Pacific Northwest and in Canada, wildfire smoke is causing hazy skies and air quality warnings across much of North America.

But beyond the danger of flames and pollution, Dr. Kobziar’s research asks a surprising question: what if there is something alive in that smoke? Her work examines how microbes such as bacteria and fungi can be lifted from burning forests and soils and carried through the air, potentially affecting ecosystems, agriculture, and human health hundreds of miles away.