Microbial Tracking-3 (MT-3) is a NASA Space Biology investigation cataloging and characterizing potential disease-causing microorganisms aboard the International Space Station (ISS). MT-3 sampling kits launched on SpX-22 were used to […]
microbiology
Posted inMicrobiology & Virology
Selenium May Support Deep Microbial Life In Earth's Continental Crust
International drilling efforts over the last decades into the seafloor have provided increasing evidence for the existence of an extensive deep biosphere below the seafloor. There, circulating fluids in the […]
Posted inMicrobiology & Virology
Candida Albicans Cultures Grown On The ISS Are More Virulent In Space
The yeast C. albicans is a common opportunistic fungal pathogen responsible for a variety of superficial infections as well as systemic and more severe infections in humans. Space Biology scientist […]
Posted inMicrobiology & Virology
Solving An Underground Mystery About Where Microbes Live
Though it might seem inanimate, the soil under our feet is very much alive. It’s filled with countless microorganisms actively breaking down organic matter, like fallen leaves and plants, and […]
Posted inMicrobiology & Virology
New Cyanobacteria Species Spotlights Early Life
Cyanobacteria are one of the unsung heroes of life on Earth. They first evolved to perform photosynthesis about 2.4 billion years ago, pumping tons of oxygen into the atmosphere – […]
Posted inPress Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Ocean Bacteria Release Carbon Into The Atmosphere
A team led by University of Minnesota researchers has discovered that deep-sea bacteria dissolve carbon-containing rocks, releasing excess carbon into the ocean and atmosphere. The findings will allow scientists to […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Earth's Crust Mineralogy Drives Hotspots For Intraterrestrial Life
Below the verdant surface and organic rich soil, life extends kilometers into Earth’s deep rocky crust. The continental deep subsurface is likely one of the largest reservoirs of bacteria and […]
Posted inMicrobiology & Virology
Microbe Discovered That Has Been In Evolutionary Stasis For Millions Of Years
It’s like something out of science fiction. Research led by Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences has revealed that a group of microbes, which feed off chemical reactions triggered by radioactivity, […]
Posted inMicrobiology & Virology
In Search Of The First Bacterium
Roughly five years ago, Institute Head Prof. Dr. William (Bill) Martin and his team introduced the last universal common ancestor of all living organisms and named it “LUCA”. It lived […]
Posted inGenomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Press Release, Space Stations, Tricorders & Sensors
Multi-Spectral Fluorescence Imaging System for Studying Gene Expression on ISS
All organisms exposed to the spaceflight environment exhibit changes in the expression of many genes relative to the comparable ground controls left on Earth. The Multi-Spectral Fluorescence Imaging System (Spectrum) […]