metagenome Archives

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.

This image was taken near the closest approach point, at a range of 560 kilometers (335 miles) and is the highest resolution picture of Europa that will be obtained by Galileo North is to the right of the picture, and the sun illuminates the surface from that direction. This image, centered at approximately 13 degrees south latitude and 235 degrees west longitude, is approximately 1.8 kilometers (1 mile) wide. The resolution is 6 meters (19 feet) per picture element. This image was taken on December 16, 1997 by the solid state imaging system camera on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. Larger image

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Enceladus, Europa, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Survival Limits Of Psychrotolerant Microorganisms With Relevance For Planetary Protection Of The Icy Moons

by Keith CowingFebruary 17, 2026February 17, 2026

Investigating the survival limits of extremophilic microorganisms exposed to simulated space conditions can shed light on the ability of terrestrial microorganisms to survive and propagate on other planetary bodies.

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

Microbiomes Interconnect On A Planetary-scale, New Study Finds

by Keith CowingFebruary 13, 2026February 13, 2026

In a new study published in Cell, scientists in the Bork Group at EMBL Heidelberg reveal that microbes living in similar habitats are more alike than those simply inhabiting the […]

Pan-evolutionary analysis for identifying conserved gene clusters and karyotypes. (A–C) Microsynteny analysis among deep ocean organisms. Circos plot for distribution and visualization of microsynteny blocks between two deep ocean organisms. - HKUST

Analog Studies, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

HKUST Launches World’s First Deep-sea Multi-omics Resource Platform Empowering Global Research Into Biological Adaptation In Extreme Environments

by Keith CowingDecember 30, 2025December 30, 2025

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), in collaboration with the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), has launched the world’s first Deep Ocean Omics (DOO) […]

Collecting samples from permafrost at high elevations in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica. Image credit: Jackie Goordial via NASA Astrobiology

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Icy Worlds, Sample Return, Status Report

Draft Genome Sequence Of An Uncultured Archaeon From Antarctic Endolithic Communities

by Keith CowingJuly 31, 2025July 31, 2025

A draft genome sequence was assembled and annotated for an uncultured archaeon reconstructed from shotgun metagenomes obtained from Antarctic endoliths.

ML tree inferred using IQ-TREE under the LG + C60 + F + G + PMSF model, based on a set of 579 archaeal taxa (411 Asgard archaea, 51 DPANN archaea, 47 Euryarchaea and 70 representatives of TACK archaea). Only Asgard archaeal lineages are shown in the tree. Two cultured Asgard archaeal strains are highlighted with a red star. Newly identified genomes in this study are displayed by coloured bars in the outermost ring. Bootstrap support values of at least 95% are represented by black dots. The scale bar denotes the average expected number of substitutions per site. -- Nature via PubMed

Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Deep Origin Of Eukaryotes Outside Heimdallarchaeia Within Asgardarchaeota

by Keith CowingMay 19, 2025May 19, 2025

Research on the morphology, physiology and genomics of Asgard archaea has provided valuable insights into the evolutionary history of eukaryotes.

Phoenix spacecraft being tested in a clean room at Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report

Extremotolerant Bacteria Identified In The NASA Mars Phoenix Cleanroom

by Keith CowingMay 13, 2025May 13, 2025

Abstract Background Human-designed oligotrophic environments, such as cleanrooms, harbor unique microbial communities shaped by selective pressures like temperature, humidity, nutrient availability, cleaning reagents, and radiation. Maintaining the biological cleanliness of […]

Golden Dome Cave (2,229 ft / 679 m) One of the "Moderately Challenging Caves." -- National Park Service

Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report

Draft Genome Sequence Of A Member Of A Putatively Novel Rubrobacteraceae Genus From Lava Tubes In Lava Beds National Monument

by Keith CowingMay 1, 2025

We report the draft genome sequence of a member of a potentially novel genus of Rubrobacteraceae isolated from Golden Dome Cave in Lava Beds National Monument. Members of this family […]

Global distribution of serpentinization-influenced environments that have been1412 investigated microbiologically and those that hosted 70 publicly available shotgun1413 metagenomes used in the meta-analysis of this review. Geologic systems are indicated by1414 points and abbreviations on the map, with those in green hosting metagenomes that were used in1415 the meta-analysis of this review. Bottom left insert shows the pH distribution of water samples1416 from which the metagenomes were derived, as reported by the original publication. Additional1417 information for metagenomes is shown in Supplementary Table 1. Abbreviations are defined as1418 follows (and further identified in Supplementary Table 1). NEY: Ney Springs; CED: The1419 Cedars; CROMO: Coast Range Ophiolite Microbial Observatory; SEO: Santa Elena Ophiolite;1420 TBL: Tablelands Ophiolite; RHF: Rainbow Hydrothermal Field; LCHF: Lost City Hydrothermal1421 Field; LVF: Logatchev Vent Field; AVF: Ashadze Vent Field; AUR: Aurora Seamount; LEKA:1422 Leka Ophiolite; CDV: Cabeço de Vide; VOL: Voltri Massif; YAN: Yanartaş; ALL: Allas1423 Springs; SAM: Samail Ophiolite; KMR: Khalilovsky Massif; KHF: Karei Hydrothermal Field;1424 OCHF: Old City Hydrothermal Field; HHS: Hakuba Happo Hot Springs; MAN: Manleluag1425 Spring; LCR: La Crouen Spring; PBHF: Prony Bay Hydrothermal Field. -- biorxiv.org

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

The Microbial Ecology of Serpentinites

by Keith CowingNovember 14, 2024

Serpentinization, the collective set of geochemical reactions initiated by the hydration of ultramafic rock, has occurred throughout Earth history and is inferred to occur on several planets and moons in […]

Taxonomic composition of polychaete microbiomes. Bar plots showing the relative contribution (%) of bacterial taxa (at genus level when possible) associated with the three polychaetes species (A. palmeri, A. trissophyllus, and L. geminus) in the different areas (Adelie Cove, Central Bay, and Rod Bay) and depths (at 25, 70, and 140 m). All bacterial taxa with a relative abundance of less than 0.5% were grouped in “others.” -- Science

Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biophysics, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Status Report

Genetic Clues To Freezing Resistance In Antarctic Life Forms

by Keith CowingJuly 5, 2024July 5, 2024

The microbiome plays a key role in the health of all metazoans. Whether and how the microbiome favors the adaptation processes of organisms to extreme conditions, such as those of […]

metagenome

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

Survival Limits Of Psychrotolerant Microorganisms With Relevance For Planetary Protection Of The Icy Moons

Microbiomes Interconnect On A Planetary-scale, New Study Finds

HKUST Launches World’s First Deep-sea Multi-omics Resource Platform Empowering Global Research Into Biological Adaptation In Extreme Environments

Draft Genome Sequence Of An Uncultured Archaeon From Antarctic Endolithic Communities

Deep Origin Of Eukaryotes Outside Heimdallarchaeia Within Asgardarchaeota

Extremotolerant Bacteria Identified In The NASA Mars Phoenix Cleanroom

Draft Genome Sequence Of A Member Of A Putatively Novel Rubrobacteraceae Genus From Lava Tubes In Lava Beds National Monument

The Microbial Ecology of Serpentinites

Genetic Clues To Freezing Resistance In Antarctic Life Forms

NASA Spaceline Current Awareness List #1,206 2 July 2026 (Space Life Science Research Results)

Older Than The Sun: Astronomers Find New Clues To The Origin Of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS

Carl Sagan Month: Call For Participation

The Habitable Worlds Observatory Technology Development Plan

Searching For The Elusive CH2+ With The James Webb Space Telescope. Another Carbocation To Constrain Astrochemical Networks