Bacteria thriving in lightless, low-oxygen, super-salty Antarctic lake may give clues to origins of life -
A study by polar researchers has revealed an ancient community of bacteria able to thrive in the lightless, oxygen-depleted, salty environment beneath nearly 70 feet (20 metres) of ice in an Antarctic lake, giving insight into the unique ecosystem.
The research, funded by the National Science Foundation and NASA, provides clues about biochemical processes not linked to sunlight, carbon dioxide and oxygen – or photosynthesis.
Emanuele Kuhn/Desert Research InstituteMembers of the 2010 Lake Vida expedition team use a drill inside on the lake’s surface to collect an ice core and brine existing below the lake surface.
The authors of the study say it may explain the potential for life in salty, cryogenic environments beyond Earth, where energy in ecosystems is typically fueled by the sun.
The study, published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, came out of a collaborative effort of polar researchers from a number of institutions, including the University of Illinois at Chicago, Montana State University and the University of Colorado.
The energy driving bacterial life in Lake Vida, a mostly frozen, brine lake below the Antarctic ice shield, may be derived from chemical reactions between the salt water and the underlying, iron-rich rock, researchers said.
Read more -
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/11/28/bacteria-thriving-in-lightless-low-oxygen-super-salty-antarctic-lake-may-give-clues-to-origins-of-life/
A study by polar researchers has revealed an ancient community of bacteria able to thrive in the lightless, oxygen-depleted, salty environment beneath nearly 70 feet (20 metres) of ice in an Antarctic lake, giving insight into the unique ecosystem.
The research, funded by the National Science Foundation and NASA, provides clues about biochemical processes not linked to sunlight, carbon dioxide and oxygen – or photosynthesis.
Emanuele Kuhn/Desert Research InstituteMembers of the 2010 Lake Vida expedition team use a drill inside on the lake’s surface to collect an ice core and brine existing below the lake surface.
The authors of the study say it may explain the potential for life in salty, cryogenic environments beyond Earth, where energy in ecosystems is typically fueled by the sun.
The study, published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, came out of a collaborative effort of polar researchers from a number of institutions, including the University of Illinois at Chicago, Montana State University and the University of Colorado.
The energy driving bacterial life in Lake Vida, a mostly frozen, brine lake below the Antarctic ice shield, may be derived from chemical reactions between the salt water and the underlying, iron-rich rock, researchers said.
Read more -
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/11/28/bacteria-thriving-in-lightless-low-oxygen-super-salty-antarctic-lake-may-give-clues-to-origins-of-life/
No comments:
Post a Comment