[Science] Nitrogen is one of life’s building blocks, but it’s only helpful in the right amounts. Too much nitrogen in water, for example, can lead to poor water quality and […]
extremophile
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology
Activity And Diversity Of Sulfate- and Methane-based Pathways Of Anaerobic Chitin And N-acetylglucosamine Degradation In Marine Sediments
[American Society of Microbiology] Sulfate reduction is estimated to account for half of the organic carbon respiration in anoxic, organic-rich ocean sediments. Sulfate-reducing microorganisms (SRMs) typically oxidize simple carbon compounds, […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
How A Desert Alga Helps Us Understand Plants’ Adaptability To Extreme Environmental Conditions
[Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau] A single-celled green alga from the sand dunes of the Negev Desert has, within just a few years, become a key model organism in modern photosynthesis […]
Posted inMicrobiology & Virology
Near-infrared Confocal Imaging Reveals The Spatial Organisation Of Far-red Photosynthesis In Shark Bay Microbial Mats And Halomicronema sp,
[Journal of Microscopy] Far-red light (FRL) cyanobacteria occupy spectrally filtered habitats where visible wavelengths are depleted but far-red radiation persists.
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Whole-Genome Metagenomics Insights Revealed a Uranium Bio-remediating Cross-Domain Microbiome in the Dhala Impact Structure, India
[biorxiv.org] Meteorite impact structures on earth represent unique terrestrial analogues of extreme planetary environments where fractured lithologies, hydrothermal alteration, elevated concentrations of radionuclides, and prolonged water-rock interactions create ecological niches […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Hot Spring Organism Breaks Record For Heat Tolerance Of Complex Life
[Cell Press] A tiny, single-celled organism can thrive at temperatures that would kill all other known complex life.
Posted inSample Return
Closed-loop In Situ Isolation Of Deep-sea Extremophiles Through Sensor-driven Microenvironment Preservation
[Nature Sensors] Deep sea microorganisms remain largely inaccessible because existing sampling and cultivation methods fail to preserve native high-pressure microenvironments from seafloor to laboratory.
Posted inBiophysics
How A Deep-sea Protein Adapts To An Extreme Environment
[Kyushu University] Life in the deep sea is under immense pressure—literally. Such extreme conditions can disrupt the delicate structures of proteins essential to life. Yet somehow, the proteins in deep-sea […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Antarctica Is Home To Microbes Found Nowhere Else On Earth
[CU Boulder] Scientists have often wondered about species that are unique to Antarctica. But the focus has mainly been on animals, like cute feathery penguins. But CIRES researchers wanted to […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Cultivation Of Halophilic Archaea In Shallow Subsurface Martian Conditions Has Implications For Extant Life On Mars
[biorxiv.org] The present-day martian surface is generally considered inhospitable to life because of low atmospheric pressure, intense surface radiation, global desiccation, and oxidizing chemistry which has been increasing since the […]