MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR MARINE MICROBIOLOGY Archives

Illustration of the initially discovered endosymbiont ‘Candidatus Azoamicus ciliaticola’ and its ciliate host. The figure is a composite of a scanning electron microscope image (SEM, grey) and fluorescence images. Visible is the endosymbiont (yellow) and bacterial prey in food vacuoles as well as the large cell nucleus (blue). The outer structure of the weakly fluorescent ciliate as well as the cilia are also visible. Credit S. Ahmerkamp/Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release

Oxygen Is Not The Limit: Diversity And Metabolic Potential Of Globally Distributed Endosymbionts

by Keith CowingDecember 10, 2024December 10, 2024

In 2021, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, Germany, reported an astonishing new form of symbiosis: They found a unique bacterium that lives inside a […]

Molecular reactions involved in ethane degradation. The metabolism of the microbe converts ethane into CO and formyl-MFR, used as substrates by the enzymes of this study (presented as surface colored by subunit) to generate CO2. The generated electrons navigate in the enzymes (cyan dashed arrows) to reduce F420 – the molecule responsible for the shiny blue color of the organism under UV light. The background image shows the F420-dependent fluorescence of the ethane-degrading microbes under the microscope. Credit Olivier Lemaire/Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

A Metabolic Secret Of Ethane-consuming Archaea Unraveled

by Keith CowingOctober 25, 2024October 25, 2024

Seeps on the deep seafloor naturally emit alkanes, which are pollutants that are potentially dangerous to life and act on global warming. Fortunately, the sediments around the seeps host microbes […]

Under the microscope, scientists identified SAR11 zombie cells by their distinct lack of ribosomes. In an example comparing a live, infected SAR11 cell to an infected zombie cell: blue indicates bacterial DNA, yellow shows ribosomes, and purple highlights phage genes. The live cell (upper pictures) displays all three colors, while the zombie cell (lower pictures) lacks the yellow ribosome signal. The final column of images on the right merges these colors, clearly distinguishing the two cell types. © Jan Brüwer/Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology.

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Zombie Cells In The Sea: Viruses Keep The Most Common Marine Bacteria In Check

by Keith CowingMay 17, 2024May 17, 2024

The ocean waters surrounding the German island of Helgoland provide an ideal setting to study spring algae blooms, a focus of research at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology […]

Using the MS Farm, the Bremen researchers sampled the seabed around Spitsbergen several times and at different times of the year. (© F. Aspetsberger/Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology)

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Iceworld Ecology: Bacteria In Earth’s Arctic Seabed Are Active All Year Round

by Keith CowingFebruary 29, 2024February 29, 2024

The Arctic is cold and hostile to life, yet it is home to a large number of microorganisms whose activity has a significant impact on life on our planet.

Extracellular vesicles of the haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii, made visible with an electron microscope. The scale bar measures 500 nm. CREDIT S. Erdmann/Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology

Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Decoding Conversations Between Microbes Of Hypersaline Environments Reveals Insights Into Origins Of Complex Life

by Keith CowingFebruary 27, 2024February 27, 2024

Single-celled organisms, such as bacteria and archaea, have developed many ways to communicate with each other. For example, they might use tiny so-called extracellular vesicles (EVs) – membrane-enveloped packages smaller […]

The gas conversion process by an electrode-based enzymatic reaction. The enzyme extracted from the microbe, bound to a graphite electrode, can be employed to convert the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide to formate, a molecule that can be used as safe energy storage or as a basis for chemical synthesis. The two molecules are shown as balls and sticks (carbon atoms in grey, oxygen atoms in red). The structure of the protein from the methanogen Methanothermobacter wolfeii is shown as a light blue surface to illustrate the enzyme. The energy required by the electrode can originate from renewable energy sources. CREDIT O. Lemaire, M. Belhamri and T. Wagner/ Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Commercial & Private Sector, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release

Capturing CO2 With Electricity: A Microbial Enzyme Inspires Electrochemistry

by Keith CowingNovember 30, 2023November 30, 2023

Seeking microorganisms that efficiently capture the greenhouse gas CO2

Double CARD–FISH was performed using probes Nper205 and Nbre448 to target cells of Ca. Nitricoxidivorans perseverans (green) and Ca. Nitricoxidireducens bremensis (pink), respectively, followed by DAPI staining of all cells (blue). Cell counts were performed in triplicate filter pieces from CARD–FISH and DAPI counts (n ≥ 1,000). Scale bar, 10 µm. - Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release

Microbes That Utilize Nitric Oxide Respiration

by Keith CowingJuly 10, 2023July 10, 2023

Nitric oxide (NO) is a fascinating and versatile molecule, important for all living things as well as the environment. It is highly reactive and toxic, organisms use it as a […]

PhD-student Marion Jespersen works on a fermenter in which M. thermolithotrophicus grows exclusively on sulfate as sulfur source. CREDIT Tristan Wagner / Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

How a Methanogen Creates Its Own Sulfate Reduction Machinery

by Keith CowingJune 5, 2023June 5, 2023

Sulfur is a fundamental element of life and all organisms need it to synthesize cellular materials. Autotrophs, such as plants and algae, acquire sulfur by converting sulfate into sulfide, which […]

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Life In The Smoke Of Underwater Volcanoes

by Keith CowingMarch 10, 2023March 12, 2023

Deep down in the ocean at tectonic plate boundaries, hot fluids rise from so-called hydrothermal vents. The fluids are devoid of oxygen and contain large amounts of metals such as […]

Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Illuminating The Smallest Inhabitants of the Largest Ocean Desert

by Keith CowingJuly 2, 2019

The middle of the South Pacific is as far away from land as you can possibly get. Solar irradiance is dangerously high, reaching a UV-index that is labelled ‘extreme’. There […]