[Frontiers in Microbiology] On the north shore of Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA, naturally occurring tar seeps at Rozel Point provide an opportunity to study a petroleum-rich environment adjacent to […]
microbiology
![Distribution and protein structures of ancestral energy conservation enzymes in bacteria and archaea. For escape as free-living cells, metabolism had to achieve the state of a balanced stoichiometric reaction145, called redox balance in physiology, and the exergonic reactions of electron transfer from H2 to CO2 needed to be coupled to the pumping of ions from the inside of the cell to the outside (chemiosmotic coupling), as in modern cells. Prior to the coupling of CO2 reduction to ion pumping, the natural pH gradient provided by serpentinizing systems (pH 9–11, vs. sea water (pH 6.5146) was harnessable with the help of simple, abiotically synthesized hydrophobics147,148 such as fatty acids, which were recently shown to support the ATP-synthesizing function of a rotor-stator ATPase149. -- [q-bio.PE]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Intermediate.png?resize=1200%2C721&ssl=1)
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
Intermediate Stages In The Origin Of Metabolism At A Phosphorylating Hydrothermal Vent
[q-bio.PE] The origin of life required the emergence of metabolism, an autocatalytic network of enzymatic reactions that synthesize amino acids, nucleotides and cofactors. At the origin of metabolism there were […]
Posted inCryobiology
Ancient Marine Life May Be Hiding In Antarctica’s Blood Falls
[Scripps/JCVI] Blood Falls has long been one of Antarctica’s strangest landmarks: a red-stained outflow that spills from the face of Taylor Glacier into the cold, dry landscape of the McMurdo […]
Posted inMicrobiology & Virology
Offworld Microbiology: Staphylococcus Aureus Biofilm Studies
[NASA] Preflight image of Syto9 staining of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm as part of ODYSSEY, an investigation that evaluates biofilm formation and exchange of genetic material among two species of bacteria […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Small-Scale Mineral And Microbial Heterogeneities Near A Fumarole At The Furnas Hydrothermal Zone On The Azores
[Life (Basel)]. The Azores are characterized by intense volcanic activity, creating unique environments such as fumarole sites, where geothermal gases and high temperatures drive distinct chemical and biological processes.
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports
Microorganisms Actively Shape Earth’s Ocean Floor
[MARUM]. In August 2023, the German research vessel METEOR set sail on Expedition M192 to the Greek island of Milos with Dr. Solveig Bühring as the chief scientist. The mission […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Rock-eating Fungi Flourish Deep Within Earth
[University of Michigan] Hundreds of feet below Earth’s surface, rocks and water teem with fungi and support complex ecosystems of tiny organisms, according to a University of Michigan study, which […]
Posted inMicrobiology & Virology
Methane Production On Mars-Relevant Clay Minerals And Simulant Regolith
[Microorganisms]. Over the course of Martian history, the presence of atmospheric carbon dioxide and potential subsurface molecular hydrogen (H2), in addition to potential surface and subsurface liquid water, suggests that […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Assessment Of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Survival Upon Exposure to Transient High Pressure and Temperature in a High-Intensity Shock Tube for Astrobiology (HISTA)
[bio-protocol] Understanding microbial survival under extreme planetary conditions is critical for astrobiology and stress biology.
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Methanotrophy Under Extreme Alkalinity In A Serpentinizing System
[Nature] Serpentinization produces hyperalkaline, H2– and CH4-rich fluids that support microbial life and serve as analogs for ocean worlds such as Enceladus. While methane production in these systems has been […]