Seafloor Microbes Abundant and Thriving....An Alternative Cradle for Life?

Researchers from NAI’s Marine Biological Laboratory Team continue their study of the deep biosphere, reporting the latest results in this week’s Nature. This new study reveals that bacterial communities dwelling on ocean-bottom rocks are more abundant and diverse than previously thought, especially relative to the overlying water column. The microbes appear to “feed” on the oceanic crust through seawater–rock alteration reactions involving the oxidation and hydration of glassy basalt.

Astrobiologists hypothesize that shallow water, not deep water, may have cradled...

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May 28, 2008 / Posted by: Daniella Scalice

Astrobiology Researchers Earn Kudos

Four researchers whose work is supported by NASA’s Astrobiology Program were singled out for recognition by their scientific peers last year. Norman R. Pace, Mitchell L. Sogin, John P. Grotzinger, and Nora Noffke all received awards in 2007 for their contributions to science.

Norman Pace, professor of molecular, cellular, and developmental biology at the University of Colorado in Boulder, earned the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) 2007 Abbott-ASM Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding contributions to the field of microbial ecology. Pace is a member of the NASA Astrobiology Institute research team headed by the...

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January 31, 2008 / Posted by: Wendy Dolci

Astrobiology on Science Friday

On today’s edition of NPR’s Science Friday, new work from NAI’s MBL team is featured, focusing on diversity of bacteria at hydrothermal vents. The team conducted a survey of DNA from deep-sea samples, discovering thousands of new kinds of marine microbes at two deep-sea hydrothermal vents off the Oregon coast.

Source: [Link]

October 12, 2007 / Posted by: Shige Abe

Microbial Population Structures in the Deep Marine Biosphere

NAI’s Marine Biological Laboratory Team has a new paper in this week’s Science detailing aspects of population structure for microbial communities at two neighboring hydrothermal vents. Using environmental DNA sequencing techniques, they found the two populations reflect the geochemical conditions of each vent.

Source: [Link]

October 9, 2007 / Posted by: Shige Abe

The Encyclopedia of Life

This week’s issue of Nature features an interview with David “Paddy” Paddington of NAI’s Marine Biological Laboratory Team discussing his involvement with the Encyclopedia of Life project. Debuting in early 2008, the EOL will be a living catalogue of biodiversity, with one webpage for each of Earth’s 1.8 million species.

Source: [Link]

September 10, 2007 / Posted by: Shige Abe

NAI Scientist Receives Award from L'Oréal

Julie Huber from NAI’s Marine Biological Laboratory Team received a 2007 L’Oréal USA Fellowship for Women in Science. Now in its fourth year, the highly selective L’Oréal USA Fellowships annually recognize and reward five up-and-coming female scientists who are conducting innovative and groundbreaking research. Please join NAI in congratulating Dr. Huber!

Source: [Link]

June 18, 2007 / Posted by: Shige Abe

NAI Scientists Honored by American Society for Microbiology

The American Society for Microbiology recently announced its 2007 General Meeting Award Laureates, and two NAI scientists have received honors. Mitch Sogin, PI of NAI’s Marine Biological Laboratory Team, is presented with the USFCC/J. Roger Porter Award for his research in environmental microbial diversity. Norm Pace, from NAI’s University of Colorado, Boulder Team, is presented with the Abbott/ASM Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions and research in the field of microbial ecology. Congratulations Norm and Mitch!

Source: [Link]

March 26, 2007 / Posted by: Shige Abe

A New Model for the Early Ocean

NAI’s Marine Biological Laboratory and Carnegie Institution of Washington Teams are contributing authors on a new paper in Earth and Planetary Science Letters presenting a new model for the evolution of Proterozoic deep seawater composition based on rare earth elements. Their data suggest transitional, suboxic conditions in the deep ocean (vs. sulfidic), which likely limited nutrient concentrations in seawater and, consequently, may have constrained biological evolution.

Source: [Link]

March 5, 2007 / Posted by: Shige Abe

Microbial Diversity in the Deep Sea

NAI PI of the Marine Biological Laboratory Team, Mitch Sogin, and his team have published a new paper in PNAS documenting astonishing new findings of microbial diversity in the deep sea. The findings are the result of a new DNA technique called “454 tag sequencing.”

Image courtesy of Micro*scope

Source: [Link]

August 1, 2006 / Posted by: Shige Abe

Biodiversity in Hypersaline Mats

Researchers at NAI’s University of Colorado, Boulder and Marine Biological Laboratory Team published their analysis of biodiversity in hypersaline microbial mats in a recent issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Bacteria dominated the mat in unprecedented diversity representing 752 species, including 15 novel candidate phyla.

Source: [Link]

May 18, 2006 / Posted by: Shige Abe

A Window into the Subsurface Microbial Population

A new paper this week in PNAS highlights a collaboration between NAI Lead Teams at Penn State, University of Rhode Island, UCLA, and the Marine Biological Laboratory. Their research reveals that heterotrophic Archea dominate the scene in a variety of biogeochemically distinct sedimentary regions, and may constitute a significant portion of the prokaryotic biomass in Earth’s subsurface. Ecosystem-level carbon budgets suggest that community turnover times are on the order of 100-2,000 years.

Source: [Link]

February 28, 2006 / Posted by: Shige Abe