Metagenomics Archives

Main categories of extremophiles. This illustration depicts the 10 most common extremophile types, highlighting their defining physicochemical stressors and representative natural environments. -- Briefings in Bioinformatics

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Decoding Extremophiles: Insights From Bioinformatics, Machine Learning, And Data-driven Approaches

by Keith CowingMay 22, 2026May 23, 2026

Life thrives in Earth’s most inhospitable environments, from boiling hydrothermal vents to hypersaline lakes and frozen polar deserts, thanks to the remarkable adaptations of extremophilic microorganisms.

Cladogram of the full set of eukaryotic phyla identified by shotgun sequencing and metabarcoding. Branch colors represent kingdoms (blue, Metazoa; red, Fungi; green, Viridiplantae; pink, other eukaryotes). Three surrounding rings indicate phyla shared between shotgun sequencing and metabarcoding (gray), phyla uniquely detected with metabarcoding (yellow), and phyla uniquely detected with shotgun sequencing (blue). Information in the rings is summarized in a Venn diagram in the upper left corner. Taxa marked with an asterisk are no longer categorized as a phylum. -- Pensoft Publishers

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Tricorder Tech: A Simple Filter Swap Could Advance Marine eDNA Biomonitoring

by Keith CowingMay 5, 2026May 5, 2026

Editor’s note: with recent speculation about the potential habitability of other worlds and understanding the processes whereby other biospheres arise and evolve, thought needs to be given to developing sensor […]

Correlations of Asgardarchaeota with other microbial lineages in DAN-LK4 microbial mats inferred by co-occurrence network analyses. a, Sankey plot showing positive correlations of Asgard archaeal orders based on normalized USCGs (RPKM) inferred by SparCC alongside their distribution across the redox gradient in the indigenous and mesocosm-maintained microbial mat. The size of boxes is proportional to the relative abundance of Asgard archaea (center) and the number of links with prokaryotic taxa (left) in co-occurrence networks. The relative abundance of the different asgardarchaeal orders is indicated by the thickness of links connecting with the different mat layers (right). -- biorxiv.org

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Redox distribution Of Asgard Archaea And Co-occurring Taxa In Microbial Mats From An Early Proterozoic Ecosystem Analog

by Keith CowingApril 9, 2026April 9, 2026

Eukaryotes originated from the symbiosis of an Asgard archaeon, the alphaproteobacterial ancestor of mitochondria, and possibly additional bacterial contributions.

Images. (A-B) Purple biofilms dominated by Gloeobacter inside a pit-like feature inside the ERZ, (C-E) green to dark green/purple biofilms found in an open area within the ERZ with various steam vents surrounding it, (F) dried up biofilm inside a cave named “Big Ell” within Kīlauea Caldera inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, (G) dark green biofilms inside a fissure within Big Ell cave, (H) soil samples inside Big Ell -- biorxiv.org

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Amplicon And Metagenomic Data From Fumarole-associated Geothermal Features Of Hawai’i

by Keith CowingApril 6, 2026April 6, 2026

The Hawaiian islands are among the most geologically and volcanically active places on Earth. While the Hawaiian Archipelago is known for its animal and plant diversity, much less is known […]

Metagenomics and the hidden history of life.

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report

Recent Microbial Evolutionary Insights From Metagenomics

by Keith CowingMarch 10, 2026March 10, 2026

Microorganisms have profoundly shaped Earth’s biological and geological history, from the origins of oxygenic photosynthesis to present-day global biogeochemical cycles.

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.

Maximum likelihood phylogenomic tree of 381 cyanobacterial genomes, including newly sequenced genomes labeled in bold. The tree was inferred from 46,754 unambiguously aligned sites under the best-fit model (LG+F+I+R10) and 1,000 ultrafast bootstrap replicates. Only nodes with

Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Taxonomic Description Of Uncultured Cyanobacteria From Extreme Habitats Through Genome-Based Classification

by Keith CowingJanuary 8, 2026January 8, 2026

Cyanobacteria form a morphologically and phylogenetically diverse group of oxygenic phototrophic bacteria inhabiting a wide range of environments, including extreme habitats such as hot springs and volcanic steam vents.

The subglacial microbiome splits into two clusters. (A) An NMDS on the unaggregated read counts of all taxonomic nodes within 19 abundant subglacial classes splits samples into two clear clusters. (B) Proportions of each subglacial class in each sample, grouped by cluster. (C) Predicted proportion of aerobic vs anaerobic bacteria for each sample, using reads which mapped to taxa in the 16 subglacial bacterial classes. (D) Existing Antarctic subglacial samples can be assigned to one of our clusters by assessing the prevalence of their reported top taxa in our samples. -- biorxiv.org

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Ancient Metagenomics Reveals Subglacial Microbiomes Driven By Oxygen Availability

by Keith CowingJanuary 4, 2026January 3, 2026

Beneath Earth’s glaciers and ice sheets lies an aquatic realm where ice, water, rock, and microbial life interact, driving chemical reactions that can collectively influence the global carbon cycle, polar […]

The “tree” here is the taxonomic tree of the organisms analysed, coloured by major group. The red bars on the outside of the tree show how many species have been sequenced in each Order of organisms. Graphic by Mark Blaxter for DToL. Organism silhouettes from PhyloPic (https://www.phylopic.org/) CCBY-4.0. via Darwin Tree of Life Project

Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Jumping Genes Help Resolve The Tree Of Life

by Keith CowingNovember 12, 2025November 12, 2025

Genomes are key to unlocking life’s evolutionary history. The presence and absence of certain genetic sequences and mutations can give us clues to the order in which species diverge.

Chaperone-assisted protein remodeling enables microbial survival under extreme composting heat. During hyperthermophilic composting, microbial communities endure temperatures approaching 87 °C by activating a network of heat shock proteins that stabilize enzymes and maintain cellular functions. The schematic illustrates how conventional thermophiles (left) transition to hyperthermophiles (right), where dnaJ, dnaK, and groEL work in sequence to recognize, refold, and protect misfolded proteins such as CTPase. Enhanced hydrogen-bond networks, ATP-driven chaperone cycles, and coordinated metabolic regulation collectively ensure thermal stability, allowing microbes to sustain energy production and biodegradation efficiency at 360 K. Credit Environmental Science and Ecotechnology

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

Heatproof Microbes Reveal Molecular Secrets Of Nature’s Hottest Recycling System

by Keith CowingNovember 10, 2025November 10, 2025

When compost piles reach nearly boiling temperatures, most life would perish—but not the resilient microbes thriving within. This study reveals how thermophilic bacterial communities withstand temperatures up to 87 °C […]

Metagenomics

Decoding Extremophiles: Insights From Bioinformatics, Machine Learning, And Data-driven Approaches

Tricorder Tech: A Simple Filter Swap Could Advance Marine eDNA Biomonitoring

Redox distribution Of Asgard Archaea And Co-occurring Taxa In Microbial Mats From An Early Proterozoic Ecosystem Analog

Amplicon And Metagenomic Data From Fumarole-associated Geothermal Features Of Hawai’i

Recent Microbial Evolutionary Insights From Metagenomics

Asgard Archaeal Origin Of Microtubules

Taxonomic Description Of Uncultured Cyanobacteria From Extreme Habitats Through Genome-Based Classification

Ancient Metagenomics Reveals Subglacial Microbiomes Driven By Oxygen Availability

Jumping Genes Help Resolve The Tree Of Life

Heatproof Microbes Reveal Molecular Secrets Of Nature’s Hottest Recycling System

Inspecting A Dragonfly Mass Spectrometer (DRAMS) Transducer

NASA Explores Potential Commercial Servicing for Hubble Telescope

The Fate of Ice Sheets on Near-Synchronously Rotating Land Planets

Extraterrestrial Chemical Boundary Conditions and Evolutionary Opportunity Space on Early Earth

Complex Organic Molecules in Protostars with ALMA Spectral Surveys (COMPASS) III. CH3OH isotopic fractionation in the low-mass protostar BHR71-IRS1