http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/extreme_survival/ Extreme Survival. From ancient life in Antarctic ice to the hundred trillion microbes that live inside the human gut, read amazing articles on life surviving in extreme environments. Photos. en-us Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:05:02 EST Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:05:02 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/extreme_survival/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120211095049.htm Advances in studying genes mean that scientists in evolutionary developmental biology or “evo-devo” can now explain more clearly than ever before how bats got wings, the turtle got its shell and blind cave fish lost their eyes, says an evolutionary biologist. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 09:50:50 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120211095049.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120203102414.htm They are tiny, ugly, disease-carrying little blood-suckers that most people have never seen or heard of, but a new discovery in a one-of-a-kind fossil shows that "bat flies" have been doing their noxious business with bats for at least 20 million years. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:24:24 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120203102414.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202151256.htm Salmonella remains a serious cause of food poisoning, in part due to its ability to thrive and quickly adapt to the different environments in which it can grow. New research has taken a detailed look at what Salmonella does when it enters a new environment, which could provide clues to finding new ways of reducing transmission through the food chain and preventing human illness. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:12:12 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202151256.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202094608.htm Around the world coral reefs are facing threats brought by climate change and dramatic shifts in sea temperatures. While warming has been the primary focus for scientists and ocean policy managers, cold can also cause significant damage. Scientists have shown that cool temperatures can inflict more damage in the short term, but heat is more destructive in the long run. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:46:46 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202094608.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131102521.htm Scientists have shed new light on the way superbugs such as MRSA are able to become resistant to treatment with antibiotics. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:25:25 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120131102521.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130171911.htm It took about 10 million generations for terrestrial mammals to hit their maximum mass: that's about the size of a cat evolving into the size of an elephant. Sea mammals, such as whales took about half the number of generations to hit their maximum. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:19:19 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130171911.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126131511.htm Discoveries made in some underwater caves by researchers in the Bahamas could provide clues about how ocean life formed on Earth millions of years ago, and perhaps give hints of what types of marine life could be found on distant planets and moons. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:15:15 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126131511.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126123712.htm Researchers have discovered that certain photosynthetic ocean bacteria need to beware of viruses bearing gifts. These viruses are really con artists carrying genetic material taken from their previous bacterial hosts that tricks the new host into using its own machinery to activate the genes, a process never before documented in any virus-bacteria relationship. The con occurs when a grifter virus injects its DNA into a bacterium living in a phosphorus-starved region of the ocean. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120126123712.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125172319.htm Tumor-targeted bioluminescent bacteria have been shown for the first time to provide accurate 3-D images of tumors in mice, further advancing the potential for targeted cancer drug delivery. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:23:23 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125172319.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124184208.htm Microbiologists have found that the microbes that thrive on hot fluid methane and sulfur spewed by active hydrothermal vents are supplanted, once the vents go cold, by microbes that feed on the solid iron and sulfur that make up the vents themselves. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:42:42 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124184208.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120122152445.htm Researchers in Japan have clarified the crystal structure of quinol dependent nitric oxide reductase (qNOR), a bacterial enzyme that offers clues on the origins of our earliest oxygen-breathing ancestors. In addition to their importance to fundamental science, the findings provide key insights into the production of nitrogen oxide, an ozone-depleting and greenhouse gas hundreds of times more potent than carbon dioxide. Sun, 22 Jan 2012 15:24:24 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120122152445.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120120183806.htm Why different animals carry different amounts of fat depends on how they have solved the problem of avoiding both starving to death and being killed by predators, new research suggests. Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:38:38 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120120183806.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119143338.htm The bottom of a glacier is not the most hospitable place on Earth, but at least two types of bacteria happily live there, according to researchers. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:33:33 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119143338.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110114434.htm Scientists have revealed details of the world's most extreme deep-sea volcanic vents, five kilometers down in a rift in the Caribbean seafloor. The undersea hot springs, which lie 0.8 kilometers deeper than any seen before, may be hotter than 450 °C and are shooting a jet of mineral-laden water more than a kilometer into the ocean above. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:44:44 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110114434.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120103185246.htm Communities of species previously unknown to science have been discovered on the seafloor near Antarctica, clustered in the hot, dark environment surrounding hydrothermal vents. The discoveries include new species of yeti crab, starfish, barnacles, sea anemones, and potentially an octopus. Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:52:52 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120103185246.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111222195017.htm A new analysis indicates the shift of soil bacteria Azospirillum may have occurred only 400 million years ago, rather than approximately two billion years earlier as originally thought. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:50:50 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111222195017.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111220133942.htm Researchers are examining tiny worms that inhabit the frigid sea off Antarctica to learn not only how these organisms adapt to the severe cold, but how they will survive as ocean temperatures increase. Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:39:39 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111220133942.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111219152508.htm The impact of hatcheries on salmon is so profound that in just one generation traits are selected that allow fish to survive and prosper in the hatchery environment, at the cost of their ability to thrive and reproduce in a wild environment. Researchers were surprised by the speed of evolution and natural selection. Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:25:25 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111219152508.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111215135929.htm A team of scientists from Oregon has collected microbes from ice within a lava tube in the Cascade Mountains and found that they thrive in cold, Mars-like conditions. They have characteristics that would make the microbes capable of living in the subsurface of Mars and other planetary bodies. Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:59:59 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111215135929.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111128132702.htm Fungal spores can attach themselves to bacteria and "hitch a ride" to wherever the bacteria can travel, say researchers. This discovery will help scientists fight disease-causing bacteria or promote the spread of "good kinds" of bacteria and fungi, such as those that contribute to the health of plants. Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:27:27 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111128132702.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111128120944.htm By placing real and virtual objects in the flight paths of bats, scientists have shed new light on how echolocation works. The researchers found that it is not the intensity of the echoes that tells the bats the size of an object but the 'sonar aperture', that is the spread of angles from which echoes impinge on their ears. Mon, 28 Nov 2011 12:09:09 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111128120944.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111118133058.htm Scientists have thrown new light on the mechanism behind the mass death of corals worldwide as the Earth's climate warms. Coral bleaching, one of the most devastating events affecting coral reefs around the planet, is triggered by rising water temperatures. It occurs when the corals and their symbiotic algae become heat-stressed, and the algae which feed the corals either die or are expelled by the coral. Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:30:30 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111118133058.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111117163701.htm Scientist have determined for the first time how the bacterium that causes Legionnaires' disease manipulates our cells to generate the amino acids it needs to grow and cause infection and inflammation in the lungs. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111117163701.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111117144043.htm Scientists have now discovered how bacteria collectively gather information to learn about their environment and find an optimal path to growth. This research will allow scientists to design a new generation of "smart robots" that can form intelligent swarms and aid in the development of medical micro-robots used to treat diseases in the human body. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:40:40 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111117144043.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111116062148.htm Seagrass populations thrive in the shallow coastal regions and offer an ideal habitat for many fish, crustacean and microbes. The worldwide decline of seagrass populations in recent years is therefore of major concern. Researchers believe that climate change plays an important role as the increase in extreme events such as heat waves is a major challenge for the seagrass. How exactly the seagrass species are impacted by extreme events is examined in a new study. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 06:21:21 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111116062148.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111114133646.htm Within just one tenth of a second, certain bats are able to change the shape of their outer ear from one extreme configuration to another in order to change their hearing, researchers have discovered. Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:36:36 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111114133646.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111109125735.htm Critical genetic secrets of a bacterium that holds potential for removing toxic and radioactive waste from the environment have been revealed in a new study. Researchers have created a first-of-its-kind gene map of Desulfovibrio vulgaris, which can be used to identify the genes that determine how these bacteria interact with their surrounding environment. Wed, 09 Nov 2011 12:57:57 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111109125735.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111106192825.htm Scientists have discovered that the fungus Geomyces destructans is the cause of deadly white-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats, according to new research. The study provides the first direct evidence that the fungus G. destructans causes WNS, a rapidly spreading disease in North American bats. Sun, 06 Nov 2011 19:28:28 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111106192825.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111031220602.htm A vampire-like bacterium that leeches onto specific other bacteria -- including certain human pathogens -- has the potential to serve as a living antibiotic for a range of infectious diseases, a new study indicates. Mon, 31 Oct 2011 22:06:06 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111031220602.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111026122437.htm Plans to reopen Spain's Altamira caves are stirring controversy over the possibility that tourists' visits will further damage the 20,000-year old wall paintings that changed views about the intellectual ability of prehistoric people, according to a new article. The caves are the site of Stone Age paintings so magnificent that experts have called them the "Sistine Chapel of Paleolithic Art." Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:24:24 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111026122437.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111024165037.htm A research expedition has led to the identification of gigantic amoebas at one of the deepest locations on Earth. During a voyage to the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench, the deepest region on the planet, researchers deployed untethered free-falling/ascending landers equipped with digital video and lights to search the largely unexplored region. The team documented the deepest known existence of xenophyophores, single-celled animals exclusively found in deep-sea environments. Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:50:50 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111024165037.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111019221928.htm A new study is believed to have resolved a major debate about when oxygen began to be produced on Earth and how long it took before oxygen levels were enough to support the growth of life. Researchers made the discovery by examining key elements in banded iron formations through time. Wed, 19 Oct 2011 22:19:19 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111019221928.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111019181210.htm New research shows the first evidence that oxygen-breathing bacteria occupied and thrived on land 100 million years earlier than previously thought. Wed, 19 Oct 2011 18:12:12 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111019181210.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111017102547.htm Cave millipedes of the genus Tetracion are found on the southern Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee and Alabama, USA. New genetic analyses show that their populations are generally isolated and genetically distinct. Genetic divergence between two species of Tetracion suggests they diverged several million years ago. Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:25:25 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111017102547.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111005110959.htm The molecular mechanism of anaerobic ammonium oxidation has been unraveled. The anaerobic oxidation of ammonia (anammox) is an important pathway in the nitrogen cycle that was only discovered in the 1980s. Currently, scientists estimate that about 50 percent of the nitrogen in the atmosphere is forged by this process. A group of specialized bacteria perform the anammox reaction, but so far scientists have been in the dark about how these bacteria could convert ammonia to nitrogen in the complete absence of oxygen. Now, 25 years after its discovery, they finally solved the molecular mechanism of anammox. Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:09:09 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111005110959.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111003132441.htm Two heat-loving fungi, often found in composts that self-ignite without flame or spark, could soon have new vocations. The complete genetic makeup of Myceliophthora thermophila and Thielavia terrestris has now been decoded. The findings may lead to the faster and greener development of biomass-based fuels, chemicals and other industrial materials. Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:24:24 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111003132441.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110929144625.htm Bats use superfast vocal muscles to find their way and their prey in the dark, researchers have found. Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:46:46 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110929144625.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110927112546.htm Using highly skilled divers and high-tech equipment, BGU sent the team to study the springs they had previously detected. The study reveals complex springs hundreds of feet long and as deep as 90 feet (30 meters). The springs appear from the sea floor through craters as large as 45 feet (15 meters) in diameter and 60 feet (20 meters) deep -- with steep, finely laminated walls and alternating layers of sediment and minerals. Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:25:25 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110927112546.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110921134526.htm Adopting the pitcher plant's slick prey-catching strategy, a group of applied scientists have created a material that repels just about any type of liquid, including blood and oil, and does so even under harsh conditions like high pressure and freezing temperatures. The bio-inspired liquid repellence technology should find applications in biomedical fluid handling, fuel transport, and anti-fouling and anti-icing technologies. It could even lead to self-cleaning windows and improved optical devices. Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:45:45 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110921134526.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110921120331.htm The deepest point on the surface of Earth is the Dead Sea in Israel. Now a joint Israeli-German team of scientists found several systems of freshwater springs on the Dead Sea floor. Their presence has been speculated for decades as concentric ripples on the water surface are visible near the shore, but only with divers it was possible to detect this complex system of springs reaching 30 m depth. To locate and study these springs was quite a task for the scientific diving team, as the high salt concentration makes the diving dangerous and difficult. The divers located the springs and took water and sediment samples in which they detected novel microorganisms. Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:03:03 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110921120331.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110913212932.htm Ocean explorers observed two species of marine life scientists believe have never before been seen together at a hydrothermal vent -- chemosynthetic shrimp and tubeworms. They also observed the first known live tubeworms ever seen at a hydrothermal vent in Atlantic waters. Tue, 13 Sep 2011 21:29:29 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110913212932.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110913172625.htm A new study reveals that the way bats use biosonar to "see" their surroundings is significantly more advanced than first thought. The study examines Egyptian fruit bats, whose high-frequency clicks form a sonar beam that spreads across a fan-shaped area; the returning echoes allowing them to locate objects in that region. As these bats were considered to have little control over their vocalizations, scientists had puzzled over how they're able to navigate through complex environments. Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:26:26 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110913172625.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110913091438.htm As with their terrestrial counterparts, marine mammals are colonized by a range of bacteria, some of which are friendly and others which can cause disease. The bacteria from cetaceans and seals however are poorly documented in contrast to most land-based species. Researchers have now studied in detail the gram negative bacteria recovered from marine mammals and found that some of those recovered have significance beyond the host animals from which they were recovered. Tue, 13 Sep 2011 09:14:14 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110913091438.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110907132052.htm Researchers report that the ancient deep ocean was not only devoid of oxygen but also rich in iron, a key biological nutrient, for nearly a billion years longer than previously thought -- right through a key evolutionary interval that culminated in the first rise of animals. "We will need to rethink all of our models for how life-essential nutrients were distributed in the ocean through time and space," the authors say. Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:20:20 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110907132052.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110906092623.htm Scientists have analyzed the genome of the bacterium Ramlibacter tataouinensis TTB310, also known as the "desert bacterium". Decoding of the genome revealed the presence of kaiC, a gene with a function that had previously been found only in certain photosynthetic bacteria. Tue, 06 Sep 2011 09:26:26 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110906092623.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110904215950.htm A bacterial strain that specifically targets tumors could soon be used as a vehicle to deliver drugs in frontline cancer therapy. The strain is expected to be tested in cancer patients in 2013. Sun, 04 Sep 2011 21:59:59 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110904215950.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110901142054.htm Located between 200 and 1,000 meters below the ocean surface is a "twilight zone" where insufficient sunlight penetrates for microorganisms to perform photosynthesis. Details are now emerging about a microbial metabolic pathway that helps solve the mystery of how certain bacteria capture carbon in the dark ocean, enabling a better understanding of what happens to the carbon that is fixed in the oceans every year. Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:20:20 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110901142054.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110901135020.htm Bacteria can generally be divided into two classes: those with just one membrane and those with two. Now researchers have used a powerful imaging technique to find what they believe may be the missing link between the two classes, as well as a plausible explanation for how the outer membrane may have arisen. Thu, 01 Sep 2011 13:50:50 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110901135020.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110829131253.htm Panda feces contains bacteria with potent effects in breaking down plant material in the way needed to tap biomass as a major new source of "biofuels" produced not from corn and other food sources, but from grass, wood chips and crop wastes, scientists report. Mon, 29 Aug 2011 13:12:12 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110829131253.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110829115431.htm Preserving just 4 percent of the ocean could protect crucial habitat for the vast majority of marine mammal species, from sea otters to blue whales, according to researchers in a new study. Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:54:54 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110829115431.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110824134403.htm U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center researchers, in cooperation with the Native Village of Point Lay, will attempt to attach 35 satellite radio-tags to walruses on the northwestern Alaska coast in August as part of their ongoing study of how the Pacific walrus are responding to reduced sea ice conditions in late summer and fall. Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:44:44 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110824134403.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110822154745.htm Chemists have discovered the most naturally variable protein known to date in a bacterium that is a key player in the formation of dental plaque. Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:47:47 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110822154745.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110822121729.htm Ongoing research is exploring the use of virus-produced proteins that destroy bacterial cells to combat potentially dangerous microbial infections. Bacteriophages produce endolysin proteins that specifically target certain bacteria, and one team of scientists has been studying one that destroys Clostridium difficile, a common source of hospital-acquired infections. New research is showing that it is possible to "tune" these endolysin properties to increase their effectiveness and effectiveness as antimicrobial agents. Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:17:17 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110822121729.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110821205241.htm Earth's oldest fossils have been found in Australia. The microscopic fossils show convincing evidence for cells and bacteria living in an oxygen-free world over 3.4 billion years ago. Sun, 21 Aug 2011 20:52:52 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110821205241.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110815113541.htm Egyptian fruit bats fly dozens of kilometers each night to feed on specific fruit trees, making the return trip the same night. To understand how the bats locate individual trees night after night, scientists attached tiny GPS devices to the bats in the first-ever comprehensive GPS-based field study of mammal navigation. Mon, 15 Aug 2011 11:35:35 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110815113541.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110811201523.htm Thousands of tons of toxic mercury are released into the environment every year. Much of this collects in sediment where it is converted into toxic methyl mercury, and enters the food chain ending up in the fish we eat. New research showcases genetically engineered bacteria which are not only able to withstand high levels of mercury but are also able to mop up mercury from their surroundings. Thu, 11 Aug 2011 20:15:15 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110811201523.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110811133152.htm In deep ocean waters, some organisms can thrive in a presumably hostile type of ecosystem: hydrothermal vents, which have been the focus of extensive research for more than 30 years. Today, an international study reveals for the first time that bacteria living in association with hydrothermal mussels are capable of using hydrogen as an energy source to produce organic matter. Thu, 11 Aug 2011 13:31:31 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110811133152.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110811121328.htm In the case of sap-feeding insects, intimate associations with microbes offer a source for essential nutrients that their sugary diets just don't include. Now, researchers have new insight into organisms that have taken this symbiotic lifestyle to the extreme; they have sequenced the genomes of two species of bacteria that live together, one inside of the other, inside mealybugs. Thu, 11 Aug 2011 12:13:13 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110811121328.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110810132832.htm While intensive research efforts have gone into developing ways to harness hydrogen energy to fuel our everyday lives, a natural example of a living hydrogen-powered 'fuel cell' has gone unnoticed. Researchers have now discovered hydrogen-powered symbiotic bacteria in deep-sea hydrothermal vent mussels. Wed, 10 Aug 2011 13:28:28 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110810132832.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110808143003.htm Increased seawater temperatures are known to be a leading cause of the decline of coral reefs all over the world. Now, researchers have found that extreme low temperatures affect certain corals in much the same way that high temperatures do, with potentially catastrophic consequences for coral ecosystems. Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:30:30 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110808143003.htm