Microbes that live on and on and on and on

Is it possible the earth harbours microbes that don't die at all? Science investigates!

Microbes that live on and on and on and on

• South Pacific Gyre: In 2010, scientists were drilling into this gyre as part of the IODP (Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme), and it was a totally barren place. At the gyre's centre is the "Oceaning Pole of inaccessibility" and the "South Pacific garbage patch" (full of microplastics).
• Life in the gyre: Despite swirling ocean current around, gyre waters are still. Nutrients are missing, and one metre of "marine snow" take 10,00,000 years to build (marine snow - dead bodies, excrement, dust from the top to bottom). Through this, the IODP started drilling and went 75 m deep into pelagic clay and calcareous nannofossil ooze.
• Why do it: When the sediments were dug out, they represented 10 crore years of Earth history, and the goal was to find the microbes trapped in this. Were they alive?

1. Around 100 to 3000 bacterial cells per cubic cm were found which was 10 to 10 million times less than in other waters
2. But when taken to labs, and fed, those cells started coming alive.
3. Up to 99% woke up, ate and started working! They doubled every five days. Their next generations had specifically labeled isotopes of carbon and nitrogen (in the food offered, hence the proof).

• Meaning of all this: 70% of Earth's surface is covered by marine sediment, and microbes there are half of all microbes on Earth. These particular microbes woke up after four geologic periods had gone by, and they didn't die but were ready to come alive again.
• Life in the dark sediment: In that deep, dark oceanic sediments, the pore size is barely 0.02 microns. The bacteria are a few microns in size, to they cannot truly migrate for food. Many are anaerobic, and form endospores, fortified, and metabolically inactive. Some scientists suggest these spores help them surive so long. But in the latest experiment, most bacteria didn't have spores, and breathed oxygen!
• Take me to Mars: One species 'Chroococcidiopsis' is a cyanobacterium not only lived under the horrible conditions, but can also use red light. It is being considered for terraforming Mars. (it is a photosynthetic bacteria)
• Idling time away: Scientists think that individual bacterium have the ability to just survive without reproducing, for millions of years. But science yet doesn't have techniques to date bacteria directly. Perhaps bacteria may be effectively immortal. So these are fossils that are alive!
• Summary: These microbes are the dinosaurs that refuse to die!

 

Join PT courses | PT Youtube | PT App | Contribute |  Testimonials