Tag

Microbes

All articles tagged with #microbes

science13 days ago•121 min saved

Lab tests confirm Earth microbes can thrive in simulated Enceladus ocean

New laboratory experiments demonstrate that Earth-based methanogenic microbes can survive in conditions mimicking the subsurface ocean of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. The findings suggest the moon’s ocean is potentially habitable and that its ice plumes may concentrate biological signatures, making detection easier for future spacecraft. While the results strengthen the case for life beyond Earth, long-term survival remains unproven, and dedicated missions to investigate are not expected until the 2050s.

via Space|

#astrobiology #enceladus #esa-l4

environment25 days ago•5 min saved

Arctic Permafrost Thaw Mostly Traps Carbon in Seabed as Microbes Favor Fresh Ocean Carbon

A study near Herschel Island shows that most carbon released from thawing Arctic permafrost is stored in seabed sediments rather than released back to the atmosphere; microbes mainly remineralize about 10% of the sedimentary carbon into CO2, preferring fresh marine carbon over old permafrost carbon, a finding that helps refine climate models, though more research is needed.

via SciTechDaily|

#arctic-ocean #carbon-cycle #environment

space-and-spaceflight1 month ago•17 min saved

Moon Poles Could Shelter Earth Microbes, NASA Study Finds

NASA researchers tested five Earth microbes (including Deinococcus radiodurans and Aspergillus niger) in simulated lunar conditions and found that shadowed lunar polar pockets could preserve microbes in cryptobiosis, suggesting the Moon may be less inhospitable than thought and that astronauts could unintentionally contaminate it; the study in Science Advances used LRO data to map radiation and UV exposure and highlights cold traps at the poles as potential refuges for microbial life, raising planetary-protection considerations and opportunities for future sterile experiments.

via Gizmodo|

#astrobiology #cryptobiosis #lunar-poles

earth-science2 months ago•16 min saved

Blood Falls Reveals Ancient Marine Origins Hidden Beneath Taylor Glacier

A Nature Geoscience study shows Blood Falls' vivid red water originates from ancient seawater released from beneath Taylor Glacier, with genetic analysis indicating the brine hosts predominantly marine-associated microbes. The findings support the idea of a relic marine ecosystem beneath the Dry Valleys and suggest the subglacial water was trapped during past warm periods, offering a new timeline for flooding and isolation events and illustrating life's resilience in extreme polar environments.

via Gizmodo|

#ancient-ocean #antarctica #biology

science2 months ago•17 min saved

Antarctica's Lake Vostok: A 15-Million-Year Liquid World Beneath Four Kilometers of Ice

Beneath East Antarctica’s ice sheet, Lake Vostok—a lake roughly the size of Lake Ontario under about four kilometers of ice—has remained liquid for about 15 million years due to insulation, a pressure-lowered melting point, and continuous geothermal heat flux, driving circulation and accretion ice formation; evidence hints at microbial life, highlighting a unique, isolated habitat hidden from sunlight.

via The Times of India|

#antarctica #geothermal-heat #lake-vostok

science2 months ago•8 min saved

Hardiest Life: Microbes That Call Earth’s Most Extreme Places Home

Extremophiles—primarily bacteria and archaea—thrive in Earth’s hottest, coldest, saltiest, acidic, and high-pressure environments, from the Danakil Depression to deep-sea vents, offering insights into evolution, enabling industrial biotech and bioremediation, and guiding our search for life beyond Earth.

via Quanta Magazine|

#astrobiology #biotechnology #extremophiles

science5 months ago•12 min saved

Engineered microbes could redefine pollution cleanup

Synthetic biologists are engineering bacteria to digest pollutants—from oil and nitroaromatic compounds to plastics—aiming to turn waste into resources and cleanse air, water and soil, though safety concerns and funding hurdles still limit deployment.

via Nature|

#bioremediation #microbes #plastic-degradation

science5 months ago•5 min saved

40,000-Year-Old Microbes Reawaken in Alaskan Permafrost, Stir Climate Implications

Scientists thawed 40,000-year-old microbes from an Alaska permafrost tunnel and found them awakening after six months, forming biofilms and indicating life can resume after long dormancy; this slow reactivation could release carbon dioxide and methane as permafrost thaws, complicating climate models.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#biofilms #climate-change #greenhouse-gases

science7 months ago•5 min saved

ISS Microbes Point Toward Sustainable Asteroid Mining

An ISS BioAsteroid experiment tested bacteria and a fungus on asteroid material under microgravity and Earth gravity. Microbes extracted several metals, including palladium and platinum, sometimes outperforming non-biological leaching, though results varied by metal and organism. Overall, 44 elements were extracted, 18 biologically, suggesting microbes could enable more sustainable space mining, but much optimization remains.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#asteroid-metals #bioleaching #microbes

environment7 months ago•2 min saved

Wetland Microbes Turn Swamps Into Methane Engines Driving Warming

Louisiana researchers measuring a swamp near New Orleans find that microbes in wetlands are releasing methane at rising levels, indicating microbial, not fossil-fuel sources, are driving a growing share of methane emissions and potentially accelerating climate warming through a climate feedback loop.

via The New York Times|

#climate-change #environment #greenhouse-gas

science8 months ago•5 min saved

Underground Fukushima Microbes Survive in Biofilm Shields, Challenging Decommissioning

Researchers studying water beneath Fukushima’s reactors found bacteria thriving in radioactive conditions not thanks to classic radiation resistance but likely because protective biofilms form on metal surfaces; some microbes can cause metal corrosion, complicating cleanup efforts, and scientists speculate marine bacteria may have ridden in with the 2011 tsunami, revealing unexpected life in extreme environments.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#biofilms #corrosion #decommissioning

science9 months ago•2 min saved

Microbes Could Enable Human Habitats on Mars

Scientists are exploring the use of Earth's microbes, specifically Sporosarcina pasteurii and Chroococcidiopsis, to transform Martian soil into building materials and produce oxygen, potentially enabling sustainable habitats on Mars through biocementation and 3D printing, reducing the need for transporting materials from Earth and supporting long-term human settlement.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#3d-printing #biocementation #mars

health9 months ago•2 min saved

Scientists Warn of Hidden Waterborne Brain-Eating Threat

Scientists warn that resilient waterborne amoebae like Naegleria fowleri pose a growing global health threat due to climate change, poor water infrastructure, and limited monitoring, as they can survive harsh conditions and carry deadly pathogens, necessitating integrated water management and surveillance efforts.

via SciTechDaily|

#climate-change #health #microbes

world9 months ago•0 min saved

Farmers Use Bacteria to Reduce Pollution and Combat Hunger

Mariangela Hungria won the 2025 World Food Prize for her research on nitrogen-fixing bacteria that enhance crop yields, reduce fertilizer costs, and lower pollution, offering a sustainable solution for farmers and global food security.

via The Washington Post|

#agriculture-innovation #brazil #hunger-fight

science9 months ago•4 min saved

NASA Cleanrooms Reveal 26 New Bacterial Species Despite Sterility Measures

Scientists discovered 26 resilient bacterial species in NASA's ultra-sterile cleanrooms, raising concerns about Earth microbes contaminating Mars and challenging current sterilization protocols, with future experiments planned to test their survival in space-like conditions.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#cleanrooms #mars-contamination #microbes