Archaea Archives

Conceptual framework of vertically stratified carbon cycling and microbial succession driven by physiological trade-offs in shelf sediments. Organic carbon (OC) reactivity and microbial community structure undergo profound transitions with sediment depth. In surface sediments, Bacteria (blue) drive a transient mineralization hotspot by rapidly consuming labile OC, whereas Archaea (pink) dictate the long-term fate and reactivity of the buried recalcitrant OC pool over geological timescales. These transition of OC degradation and microbial succession are underpinned by fundamental physiological trade-offs: whereas Bacteria prioritize rapid growth (G) with high energy investment near the surface, Archaea, primarily Bathyarchaeia, allocate more energy toward maintenance (M) and adaptation (A) by minimizing their growth rates in the deep subsurface. -- biorxiv.org

Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report

Physiological Trade-offs Drive The archaeal Dominance And Carbon Turnover In Deep Subsurface

by Keith CowingMay 25, 2026May 25, 2026

Marine sediments host a vast deep biosphere, yet how microorganisms persist under severe energy limitation and govern long-term organic carbon (OC) preservation remains poorly understood.

Graphical Abstract Overview of microbial diversity and environmental drivers in Icelandic deep basaltic aquifers. Using 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding across 22 geothermal wells spanning broad temperature, pH, and bedrock-age gradients, the study reveals distinct bacterial and archaeal community structures shaped by temperature, pH, and host-rock reactivity. Findings highlight key ecological and geochemical controls relevant to subsurface silicate weathering and microcosm experiment design. -- Environmental Microbiology Reports via Pubmed

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Sample Return, Status Report

Groundwater Microbial Diversity Associated With Icelandic Basaltic Subsurface Environments

by Keith CowingApril 24, 2026April 24, 2026

Microbial communities in the deep basaltic aquifers of Iceland remain poorly characterized, despite their relevance for understanding subsurface biogeochemical processes, including silicate weathering.

Community composition and functional profiles of 152 samples. a, The relative abundance of archaea and bacteria in 152 samples. b, The proportion of all archaea in all samples. Bars in different colors represented different classes of archaea. c, The proportion of all bacteria in all samples. Bars in different colors represented different phyla of bacteria. d, the relative abundance of KEGG standard categories (level B) in all samples. e-f, Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) of all RMAGs, archaea, bacteria, and KOs in different sites based on Bray–Curtis distances. -- biorxiv.org

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Sample Return, Status Report

The Recovery Of 12,789 Genomes Revealed The Diversity, Function, And Microbial Interactions Of The Geothermal Spring Microbiome

by Keith CowingApril 12, 2026April 13, 2026

Geothermal springs, characterized by extreme physicochemical conditions, represent ecologically and evolutionarily significant habitats that foster unique microbial communities and drive adaptive evolutionary processes.

Pink arrows point to spherical, radiating aggregates of gypsum crystals observed in the lower part of stromatolitic sample from Salar de Pajonales in northern Chile. These structures illustrate gypsum mineralization associated with microbial biosignatures. Credit Tebes-Cayo et al., 2026. -- Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences

Analog Studies, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Sample Return, Status Report

Gypsum Sustains Microbial Life Under Extreme Conditions – This Could Help Us Study Mars

by Keith CowingMarch 23, 2026March 23, 2026

Terraces near Flamencos Lagoon in the southeastern Salar de Pajonales (Chile), located at 3,517 m above sea level in the arid Altiplano, host relic gypsum stromatolites and crusts formed under […]

Graphical abstract -- University of Waterloo

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Do Extreme Environments Shape Microbial Genomes?

by Keith CowingMarch 14, 2026March 14, 2026

Evolutionary biologists have long known that DNA, the molecule that carries the genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of all organisms, contains a record of ancestry. Indeed, […]

A deep-ocean submersible uses its lights to illuminate a hydrothermal vent field at Chammoro Seamount, within the Mariana Trench, June 24, 2016. Source NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research/NOAA

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Origin & Evolution of Life, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Editorial: Life Under Pressure: Microbial Adaptation And Survival In High Pressure Environments

by Keith CowingMarch 11, 2026March 11, 2026

A quantitative overview of Earth’s biomass has long been lacking, despite its importance for understanding the biosphere. The first global estimate—approximately 550 gigatons of carbon (Gt C)—reveals stark disparities across […]

New benchmark AX-403 was deployed at the base of the western caldera wall of the Axial Seamount volcano. This photo was taken during the ROV Jason dive J2-1432 of the Axial Seamount Cruise, June 19 to July 2, 2022 from the R/V Thompson. Public Domain. Original photo courtesy of NOAA via USGS larger image

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Methanothermococcus jasoni sp. nov., A Novel Thermophilic Methanogen From Subseafloor Hydrothermal Vent Fluids Of Axial Seamount, Juan de Fuca Ridge

by Keith CowingMarch 10, 2026March 10, 2026

Low-temperature (34 °C) hydrothermal fluid was collected from Axial Seamount along the Juan de Fuca Ridge in the northeast Pacific Ocean.

AtubAB dynamic instability revealed by TIRF microscopy. (A) Inset: assay design; biotinylated, GMPCPP-stabilised AtubAB dimers (labelled with 20% Alexa Fluor 647, shown as red) were anchored via NeutrAvidin to PEG Silane. Free AtubAB dimers (4 µM 20% Atto 488-labelled, cyan) were added, and filament polymerisation was observed by TIRF (total internal reflection fluorescence) microscopy. Field view revealing red GMPCPP seeds with plus- and minus-end growth (cyan). Only this used 20% tagged (unlabelled) AtubAhBs to observe dynamics at high concentrations needed for field views. Scale bar = 10 µm. B) Timelapse of plus-end growth of untagged AtubAB filament. The 10th image down shows the moment just after catastrophe, the ultra-rapid depolymerisation of the mini microtubule. Scale bar 5 µm. C) Kymograph (time vertical, filament axis horizontal) showing an untagged AtubAB filament growing and undergoing catastrophe at the plus-end. One growth episode (line) and one catastrophe event (arrowhead) are highlighted - it is the same as in panel B. Scale bars, 2 min / 2 µm. See also Supplementary Figures S4A & B and Movie M5. D) Asgard archaeal 4- pf mini microtubules show all the hallmarks of eukaryotic 13-protofilament microtubules - but are much thinner. We therefore suggest it is possible that Asgard mini microtubules are the evolutionary precursors of eukaryotic microtubules. Arrows do not indicate evolutionary distances or complexity. -- biorxiv.org

Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report

Asgard Archaeal Origin Of Microtubules

by Keith CowingFebruary 25, 2026February 25, 2026

Eukaryotic cells change their shapes, actively segregate their DNA and contain membrane networks, facilitated by a complex cytoskeleton containing actin filaments, microtubules made from tubulin, and other components.

Purported chemotrophic microfossils from the Palaeoarchaean, from the 3.45 Gyr Kitty’s Gap Chert, Pilbara.

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Impact events, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report

What The Earliest Evidence For Life Tells Us About The Early Evolution Of The Biosphere

by Keith CowingJanuary 31, 2026January 31, 2026

Life emerged on Earth in an ultramafic world under anaerobic conditions and conditioned by particular environmental characteristics for which no record remains.

a cryoEM volume revealing a two-start (C2) helical filament with a pitch p and diameter of 94.6 Å and 260 Å, and a rise and twist of 3.18 Å and 12.1°, respectively; b local interaction network between neighboring cannula protofilaments in which subunits interlock through donor strand complementation along the axial (e.g., i → j → k) direction and partake in further intermolecular contacts mediated by calcium coordination along the axial and radial (e.g., j-1→j → j + 1) direction; c stick representation of three types of calcium pockets: (i) axial stacking of subunits via type I and II calcium binding centers, (ii) radial contacts are mediated via type III Ca2+ binding sites; d raw cryoEM image of a cannulae filaments loaded with a helically winding thinner filament (2 nm; cargo). White arrows denote winding cargo and dangling cargo associated with the cannulae filaments; e surface electrostatics showing a predominantly negatively charged surface and a positively charged lumen for the cannula model. The representative image in this figure (d) is derived from a total of 2365 cryo-EM movies from two technical replicates.-- Nature Communications

Astropharmacy / Biotechnology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Commercial & Private Sector, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Extreme Engineering – Unlocking Design Secrets of Deep-sea Microbes

by Keith CowingDecember 7, 2025

The microbe Pyrodictium abyssi is an archaeon — a member of what’s known as the third domain of life — and an extremophile. It lives in deep-sea thermal vents, at […]

Archaea

Physiological Trade-offs Drive The archaeal Dominance And Carbon Turnover In Deep Subsurface

Groundwater Microbial Diversity Associated With Icelandic Basaltic Subsurface Environments

The Recovery Of 12,789 Genomes Revealed The Diversity, Function, And Microbial Interactions Of The Geothermal Spring Microbiome

Gypsum Sustains Microbial Life Under Extreme Conditions – This Could Help Us Study Mars

Do Extreme Environments Shape Microbial Genomes?

Editorial: Life Under Pressure: Microbial Adaptation And Survival In High Pressure Environments

Methanothermococcus jasoni sp. nov., A Novel Thermophilic Methanogen From Subseafloor Hydrothermal Vent Fluids Of Axial Seamount, Juan de Fuca Ridge

Asgard Archaeal Origin Of Microtubules

What The Earliest Evidence For Life Tells Us About The Early Evolution Of The Biosphere

Extreme Engineering – Unlocking Design Secrets of Deep-sea Microbes

University of New Mexico Scientists help Uncover 4.1 billion-year-old Martian Meteorite Revealing Clues to Planet’s Ancient Past

Detection Of HNCOH+ In The Interstellar Medium

Advancing Methane Detection Technology For Future Mars Missions

Comets Probably Didn’t Seed Life On Earth After All, New Study Suggests

Voyager 1 Interstellar Probe Conserves Power, Resolves Brief Communications Pause