ScienceDaily
Your source for the latest research news
Follow Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Subscribe RSS Feeds Newsletters
New:
  • 3D Printing Metal-Plastic Composite Structures
  • 2,000-Year-Old Shipwreck: Complex Trade
  • Mammoth Problem With Extinction Timeline
  • Landslide Risk Remains Long After a Quake
  • Physicists Observe Wormhole Dynamics
  • New Method of Spinal Cord Tissue Repair
  • How Giant-Faced Owls Snag Voles Hidden in Snow
  • 'Unrecyclable' Plastic Can Now Be Recycled
  • Fossil Upends Views On Origin of Modern Birds
  • Mysteriously Bright Flash Pointing Toward Earth
advertisement
Follow all of ScienceDaily's latest research news and top science headlines!
Science News
from research organizations

1

2

Newly Discovered Iron-breathing Species Have Lived In Cold Isolation For Millions Of Years

Date:
April 17, 2009
Source:
Harvard University
Summary:
A reservoir of briny liquid buried deep beneath an Antarctic glacier supports hardy microbes that have lived in isolation for millions of years, researchers report in the journal Science. The discovery of life is in a place where cold, darkness, and lack of oxygen would previously have led scientists to believe nothing could survive.
Share:
FULL STORY

A reservoir of briny liquid buried deep beneath an Antarctic glacier supports hardy microbes that have lived in isolation for millions of years, researchers report April 17 in the journal Science.

advertisement

The discovery of life in a place where cold, darkness, and lack of oxygen would previously have led scientists to believe nothing could survive comes from a team led by researchers at Harvard University and Dartmouth College. Their work was funded by the National Science Foundation, NASA, and Harvard's Microbial Sciences Initiative.

Despite their profound isolation, the microbes are remarkably similar to species found in modern marine environments, suggesting that the organisms now under the glacier are the remnants of a larger population that once occupied an open fjord or sea.

"It's a bit like finding a forest that nobody has seen for 1.5 million years," says Ann Pearson, Thomas D. Cabot Associate Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences in Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences. "Intriguingly, the species living there are similar to contemporary organisms, and yet quite different -- a result, no doubt, of having lived in such an inhospitable environment for so long."

"This briny pond is a unique sort of time capsule from a period in Earth's history," says lead author Jill Mikucki, now a research associate in the Department of Earth Sciences at Dartmouth and visiting fellow at Dartmouth's Dickey Center for International Understanding and its Institute of Arctic Studies. "I don't know of any other environment quite like this on Earth."

Chemical analysis of effluent from the inaccessible subglacial pool suggests that its inhabitants have eked out a living by breathing iron leached from bedrock with the help of a sulfur catalyst. Lacking any light to support photosynthesis, the microbes have presumably survived by feeding on the organic matter trapped with them when the massive Taylor Glacier sealed off their habitat an estimated 1.5 to 2 million years ago.

advertisement

Mikucki, Pearson, and colleagues based their analysis on samples taken at Antarctica's Blood Falls, a frozen waterfall-like feature at the edge of the Taylor Glacier whose striking red appearance first drew early explorers' attention in 1911. Those "Heroic Age" adventurers speculated that red algae might have been responsible for the bright color, but scientists later confirmed that the coloration was due to rust, which the new research shows was likely liberated from subglacial bedrock by microorganisms.

Because water flows unpredictably from below the glacier at Blood Falls, it took Mikucki a number of years to obtain the samples needed to conduct an analysis. Finally, in the right place at the right time, she was able to capture some of the subglacial brine as it flowed out of a crack in the glacial wall, obtaining a sample of an extremely salty, cold, and clear liquid for analysis.

"When I started running the chemical analysis on it, there was no oxygen," she says. "That was when this got really interesting. It was a real 'Eureka!' moment."

The fluid is rich in sulfur, a geochemical signature of marine environments, reinforcing suspicions that the ancestors of the microbes now beneath the Taylor Glacier probably lived in an ocean long ago. When sea level fell more than 1.5 million years ago, they hypothesize, a pool of seawater was likely trapped and eventually capped by the advancing glacier.

The exact size of the subglacial pool remains a mystery, but it is thought to rest under 400 meters of ice some four kilometers from its tiny outlet at Blood Falls.

Mikucki's analysis showed that the sulfur below the glacier had been uniquely reworked by microbes and provides insight into how these organisms have been able to survive in isolation for so long.

The research answers some questions while raising others about the persistence of life in such extreme environments. Life below the Taylor Glacier may help address questions about "Snowball Earth," the period of geological time when large ice sheets covered Earth's surface. But it could also be a rich laboratory for studying life in other hostile environments, and perhaps even on Mars and or Jupiter's ice-covered moon, Europa.

Mikucki and Pearson's co-authors are David T. Johnston and Daniel P. Schrag at Harvard, Alexandra V. Turchyn at the University of Cambridge, James Farquhar at the University of Maryland, Ariel D. Anbar at Arizona State University, John C. Priscu at Montana State University, and Peter A. Lee at the College of Charleston.

make a difference: sponsored opportunity

Story Source:

Materials provided by Harvard University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Jill A. Mikucki, Ann Pearson, David T. Johnston, Alexandra V. Turchyn, James Farquhar, Daniel P. Schrag, Ariel D. Anbar, John C. Priscu, and Peter A. Lee. A Contemporary Microbially Maintained Subglacial Ferrous "Ocean". Science, 2009; 324 (5925): 397 DOI: 10.1126/science.1167350

Cite This Page:

  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
Harvard University. "Newly Discovered Iron-breathing Species Have Lived In Cold Isolation For Millions Of Years." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 17 April 2009. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090416144512.htm>.
Harvard University. (2009, April 17). Newly Discovered Iron-breathing Species Have Lived In Cold Isolation For Millions Of Years. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 1, 2022 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090416144512.htm
Harvard University. "Newly Discovered Iron-breathing Species Have Lived In Cold Isolation For Millions Of Years." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090416144512.htm (accessed December 1, 2022).

  • RELATED TOPICS
    • Plants & Animals
      • Extreme Survival
      • New Species
      • Marine Biology
    • Earth & Climate
      • Snow and Avalanches
      • Earth Science
      • Geology
    • Fossils & Ruins
      • Fossils
      • Origin of Life
      • Early Climate
advertisement

  • RELATED TERMS
    • Glacier
    • Microorganism
    • Antarctica
    • Jane Goodall
    • Extinction
    • Chincoteague Pony
    • Underwater explosion
    • Lung
advertisement

  Print   Email   Share

advertisement

1

2

3

4

5
Most Popular
this week

PLANTS & ANIMALS
Put the Kettle On! How Black Tea (and Other Favorites) May Help Your Health Later in Life
525-Million-Year-Old Fossil Defies Textbook Explanation for Brain Evolution
Honey Bee Life Spans Are 50 Percent Shorter Today Than They Were 50 Years Ago
EARTH & CLIMATE
New Catalyst Could Be Key for Hydrogen Economy
Earth Might Be Experiencing 7th Mass Extinction, Not 6th
Limiting Global Warming Now Can Preserve Valuable Freshwater Resource
FOSSILS & RUINS
Oldest Evidence of the Controlled Use of Fire to Cook Food, Researchers Report
Human Evolution Wasn't Just the Sheet Music, but How It Was Played
Ancient Roman Coins Reveal Long-Lost Emperor
advertisement

Strange & Offbeat
 

PLANTS & ANIMALS
Fossil Overturns More Than a Century of Knowledge About the Origin of Modern Birds
Ant Pupae Secrete Fluid as 'Milk' to Nurture Young Larvae
Bats Use Death Metal 'Growls' to Make Social Calls
EARTH & CLIMATE
Fossil Overturns More Than a Century of Knowledge About the Origin of Modern Birds
Ancient Superpredator Got Big by Front-Loading Its Growth in Its Youth
Exploring the Possibility of Extraterrestrial Life Living in Caves
FOSSILS & RUINS
Fossil Overturns More Than a Century of Knowledge About the Origin of Modern Birds
New Quantum Computing Feat Is a Modern Twist on a 150-Year-Old Thought Experiment
Ancient Superpredator Got Big by Front-Loading Its Growth in Its Youth
Explore More
from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES

Thwaites Glacier: Significant Geothermal Heat Beneath the Ice Stream
Aug. 18, 2021 — Ice losses from Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica are currently responsible for roughly four percent of the global sea-level rise. This figure could increase, since virtually no another ice stream ...
Microbes Feast on Crushed Rock in Subglacial Lakes Beneath Antarctica
June 29, 2021 — Pioneering research has revealed the erosion of ancient sediments found deep beneath Antarctic ice could be a vital and previously unknown source of nutrients and energy for abundant microbial ...
Fueling a Deep-Sea Ecosystem
June 11, 2018 — Miles beneath the ocean's surface in the dark abyss, vast communities of subseafloor microbes at deep-sea hot springs are converting chemicals into energy that allows deep-sea life to survive -- and ...
Photosynthesis Originated a Billion Years Earlier Than We Thought, Study Shows
Mar. 6, 2018 — The earliest oxygen-producing microbes may not have been cyanobacteria. Ancient microbes may have been producing oxygen through photosynthesis a billion years earlier than we thought, which means ...
advertisement


SD
  • SD
    • Home Page
    • Top Science News
    • Latest News
  • Home
    • Home Page
    • Top Science News
    • Latest News
  • Health
    • View all the latest top news in the health sciences,
      or browse the topics below:
      Health & Medicine
      • Allergy
      • Alternative Medicine
      • Birth Control
      • Cancer
      • Diabetes
      • Diseases
      • Heart Disease
      • HIV and AIDS
      • Obesity
      • Stem Cells
      • ... more topics
      Mind & Brain
      • ADD and ADHD
      • Addiction
      • Alzheimer's
      • Autism
      • Depression
      • Headaches
      • Intelligence
      • Psychology
      • Relationships
      • Schizophrenia
      • ... more topics
      Living Well
      • Parenting
      • Pregnancy
      • Sexual Health
      • Skin Care
      • Men's Health
      • Women's Health
      • Nutrition
      • Diet and Weight Loss
      • Fitness
      • Healthy Aging
      • ... more topics
  • Tech
    • View all the latest top news in the physical sciences & technology,
      or browse the topics below:
      Matter & Energy
      • Aviation
      • Chemistry
      • Electronics
      • Fossil Fuels
      • Nanotechnology
      • Physics
      • Quantum Physics
      • Solar Energy
      • Technology
      • Wind Energy
      • ... more topics
      Space & Time
      • Astronomy
      • Black Holes
      • Dark Matter
      • Extrasolar Planets
      • Mars
      • Moon
      • Solar System
      • Space Telescopes
      • Stars
      • Sun
      • ... more topics
      Computers & Math
      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Communications
      • Computer Science
      • Hacking
      • Mathematics
      • Quantum Computers
      • Robotics
      • Software
      • Video Games
      • Virtual Reality
      • ... more topics
  • Enviro
    • View all the latest top news in the environmental sciences,
      or browse the topics below:
      Plants & Animals
      • Agriculture and Food
      • Animals
      • Biology
      • Biotechnology
      • Endangered Animals
      • Extinction
      • Genetically Modified
      • Microbes and More
      • New Species
      • Zoology
      • ... more topics
      Earth & Climate
      • Climate
      • Earthquakes
      • Environment
      • Geography
      • Geology
      • Global Warming
      • Hurricanes
      • Ozone Holes
      • Pollution
      • Weather
      • ... more topics
      Fossils & Ruins
      • Ancient Civilizations
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • Dinosaurs
      • Early Humans
      • Early Mammals
      • Evolution
      • Lost Treasures
      • Origin of Life
      • Paleontology
      • ... more topics
  • Society
    • View all the latest top news in the social sciences & education,
      or browse the topics below:
      Science & Society
      • Arts & Culture
      • Consumerism
      • Economics
      • Political Science
      • Privacy Issues
      • Public Health
      • Racial Disparity
      • Religion
      • Sports
      • World Development
      • ... more topics
      Business & Industry
      • Biotechnology & Bioengineering
      • Computers & Internet
      • Energy & Resources
      • Engineering
      • Medical Technology
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Transportation
      • ... more topics
      Education & Learning
      • Animal Learning & Intelligence
      • Creativity
      • Educational Psychology
      • Educational Technology
      • Infant & Preschool Learning
      • Learning Disorders
      • STEM Education
      • ... more topics
  • Quirky
    • Top News
    • Human Quirks
    • Odd Creatures
    • Bizarre Things
    • Weird World
Free Subscriptions

Get the latest science news with ScienceDaily's free email newsletters, updated daily and weekly. Or view hourly updated newsfeeds in your RSS reader:

  • Email Newsletters
  • RSS Feeds
Follow Us

Keep up to date with the latest news from ScienceDaily via social networks:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Have Feedback?

Tell us what you think of ScienceDaily -- we welcome both positive and negative comments. Have any problems using the site? Questions?

  • Leave Feedback
  • Contact Us
About This Site  |  Staff  |  Reviews  |  Contribute  |  Advertise  |  Privacy Policy  |  Editorial Policy  |  Terms of Use
Copyright 1995-2022 ScienceDaily or by other parties, where indicated. All rights controlled by their respective owners.
Content on this website is for information only. It is not intended to provide medical or other professional advice.
Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily, its staff, its contributors, or its partners.
Financial support for ScienceDaily comes from advertisements and referral programs, where indicated.
— CCPA: Do Not Sell My Information — GDPR: Privacy Settings —