Collaborate Disseminate
No matter how tough we think life is, it continually outdoes expectations. Now a new study from MIT has found that E. coli and yeast can survive in an atmosphere made up of 100 percent hydrogen. And that could have fascinating implications for life on … Continue reading Surprising study finds microbes can survive in all-hydrogen atmosphere
Every time we think we’ve figured out the limits of where life can exist, we discover extremophile organisms thriving under conditions we’d previously ruled out. The latest example comes from studies of rock cores drilled from the floor of the Indian O… Continue reading Extremophile microbes found thriving half a mile beneath the seafloor
A fascinating oddity in the list of potential alternative power sources is the microbial fuel cell, in which the chemical reactions of micro-organisms digesting their food are harnessed to harvest electrons and thus generate electrical current. We’d like to know more, so [Williamolyolson]’s soil microbial fuel cell is a particularly …read more
Antibiotics are one of the most important medical marvels of the modern age, letting us easily treat infections that would have once been lethal. The problem is they aren’t picky, blasting good and bad bacteria alike and messing up the delica… Continue reading Selective antibiotics target specific bacteria to spare the microbiome
Stand by to start space mining – not on an asteroid, but aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Delivered to the station by an unmanned Dragon cargo ship on July 27, an experimental mining kit developed by a team led by the University … Continue reading ISS receives prototype bacteria-based space mining kit
Modern Mars is a desolate husk of a planet, as far as life is concerned. But it’s not completely uninhabitable, since microbes could be hiding in the cracks of rocks and dirt. And now a new study has found a possible food source for these org… Continue reading Martian microbes may be snacking on space dust
The Earth is the only place we know for sure harbors life, but given how big the observable universe is, the odds that we’re completely alone are astronomical. It’s been suggested in the past that life could hitch a ride on asteroids or comet… Continue reading Harvard study suggests asteroids are likely seeding life throughout the galaxy
Fossil fuels cop the brunt of attention for reducing climate-changing emissions, but they’re far from the only culprit – livestock like sheep and cows are responsible for huge amounts of methane being released into the atmosphere. Now, an int… Continue reading Manipulating gut microbes in livestock could cut their methane emissions
Alien life is almost certainly out there somewhere, but because it’s most likely microscopic, it probably won’t be easy to spot. Instead we might need to keep an eye out for other biomarkers, which could be detected in the atmosphere, soil or… Continue reading Looking for life on Mars? Look for pasta-shaped rocks
It’s the first time traces of life have been found inside these precious jewels. Continue reading These Dazzling Gemstones Are Home to Microbes