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Sub-Topics
2005
Also TryMultimediaNews
- New Life Forms Living off of Bacteria on Ocean Bottom Found (PBS.org)
"If (relatively) complex life can thrive miles below our feet, it's at least plausible that it lives in similar conditions elsewhere in the cosmos — particularly within Mars, where organisms might have retreated when the environment above grew deadly, just as the Halicephalobus percolated down below after first living on the surface. And that means the search for alien life is a lot more wide open than anyone would have imagined just a few years ago." 06-11
Papers
- Extreme Life Forms Deep in Oceans (PBS.org)
"Almost all deep-sea creatures are bioluminescent -- they create their own light. Biologist Edith Widder discusses this and other tales of life in the deep ocean." 7-05
- An Organism Survives Antarctica, Maybe Mars (Time.com)
"Say what you will about the simple, uninteresting lives of microorganisms, they're tough little critters. You try surviving for a million and a half years without heat, food or sunlight and see how you do. A team of National Science Foundation researchers just discovered a species of Antarctic organisms that has accomplished exactly that — and the microbes' unlikely survival can tell us a lot not just about the adaptability of life on Earth, but the prospects for it on Mars." 04-09
- Archaea - Life's Extremists (UCMP)
Provides an introduction to archaea, living organisms that live in extreme conditions, such as heat, salt, or alkaline, that no other life form can tolerate and that, until recently, were believed to be conditions impossible for life. They also live under "normal" conditions, such as in the oceans.
- Extreme Life Forms Found Under Ice (USA Today)
"The microbes thrive despite 8 degree Fahrenheit temperatures, 20% salinity in the brine and high concentrations of ammonia and sulfur. They likely live off of chemical reactions with hydrogen in the lake water. The lake and its unusual bugs, the researchers suggest, help show that life could survive elsewhere on frozen worlds beyond our own planet. According to the study, the find 'is a potential analog for habitats on other icy worlds,' such as Jupiter's moon Europa or Saturn's geyser-spewing moon Enceladus."
- Life Found in Very Extreme Conditions (Time.com)
"If (relatively) complex life can thrive miles below our feet, it's at least plausible that it lives in similar conditions elsewhere in the cosmos — particularly within Mars, where organisms might have retreated when the environment above grew deadly, just as the Halicephalobus percolated down below after first living on the surface. And that means the search for alien life is a lot more wide open than anyone would have imagined just a few years ago." 06-11
- Water Bear (Microscopy)
"Strangely enough, water bears are at the same time among the most unknown and the most fascinating creatures on earth. They have successfully escaped man's exploitation of nature and still can be found almost everywhere on earth. Scientists have reported their existence in hot springs, on top of the Himalayas, under 5 m layers of solid ice and in ocean sediments. Many species can be found in a milder environment like lakes, ponds and meadows, others prefer stone walls and roofs. But their most typical homes are moss cushions." 7-05
- Yellowstone Park's Extremophile Microbes (Time.com)
"Yellowstone Park's bizarre steam vents and odiferous boiling pools are more than just tourist attractions and geological curiosities. They are home to unique microbes — living organisms that thrive in extreme heat. More than that, they are valuable resources for industries searching for fresh and big profits." 11-07
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