The search for life in the universe is often informed by the study of “extreme” environments on Earth, which provide analogs for habitable locations in the Solar System, and whose […]
Bacteria
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report
Culexarchaeia, A Novel Archaeal Class Of Anaerobic Generalists Inhabiting Geothermal Environments
Geothermal environments, including terrestrial hot springs and deep-sea hydrothermal sediments, often contain many poorly understood lineages of archaea.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Europa, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Microgravity, Status Report
Toward Detecting Biosignatures of DNA, Lipids, and Metabolic Intermediates from Bacteria in Ice Grains Emitted by Enceladus and Europa
The reliable identification of biosignatures is key to the search for life elsewhere.
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
Dormant Magnetosome Genes Discovered In Non-magnetic Bacteria
Magnetic bacteria can align their movement with the Earth’s magnetic field thanks to chains of magnetic nanoparticles inside their cells. The blueprints for making and linking these magnetosomes are stored […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release
Ancient Bacteria Might Lurk Beneath Mars’ Surface
When Mars’ first samples return to Earth, scientists should be on the lookout for ancient sleeping bacteria, a new study has found.
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
Discovery Of Exciting Bacteria In Underground Caves In North Africa
A research team from Umeå University, SLU and Algeria has found bacteria, with a number of interesting properties, in previously unexplored caves at a depth of several hundred meters in […]
Posted inCaves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release
Microbial ´Dark Matter´: Centuries-old Lava Caves Of Hawaiʻi Island Contain Thousands Of Unknown Bacterial Species
The lava caves, lava tubes and geothermal vents on the big island of Hawaiʻi have higher bacterial diversity than scientists expected, reports a new study in Frontiers in Microbiology. These […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release
Hidden Bacterial Hairs Power Nature's 'Electric Grid'
A hair-like protein hidden inside bacteria serves as a sort of on-off switch for nature’s “electric grid,” a global web of bacteria-generated nanowires that permeates all oxygen-less soil and deep […]
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Bacterial Evolution In Ancient Sub-seafloor Sediments
Micro-organisms persisting deep below the seafloor for millions of years continue to evolve despite living at the energy limit to life.
Posted inMicrobiology & Virology, Press Release
Most Viruses And Bacteria Fall From The Sky
An international research project led by the University of Granada has revealed for the first time that almost one billion viruses and more than twenty million bacteria circulate in the […]