Chilean extremophile bacteria thrive in Mars-like conditions
The microbial communities atop Socompa are "are unique little oases inthe vast, barren landscape of the AtacamaDesert and are supported by gases from deep within the Earth,"according to Steven Schmidt, the corresponding author on the paper. In a paper published in a February edition of Applied and EnvironmentalMicrobiology, researchers reported on the results of acombined"biogeochemical and molecular-phylogeneticapproach" to examining the system. They extracted genetic material, using novel techniques and cloned via PCR reactions to take a "snapshot"of the genetic diversity atop the mountain.
The generic volcanic soil found in the area turned out to be home to afew varieties of Actinbacteria and Fungi, but little else. The areasaround the volcanic fumaroles, on the other hand, were found to be home tophotoautotrophic microbial communities and a newly identified speciesof mite. Some of the basic chemicals needed for life to continue areprovided by the volcano itself. As coauthor of the paper,Elizabeth Costello says, "it's as if these bacterial communities are living in tiny, volcanic greenhouses."
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I heard that Jupiter has similar environments