Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Henrik Drake, Peter W. Reiners
Summary: The deep biosphere of Earth hosts ancient chemolithotrophic lineages, and understanding the habitability history in this environment is key to unraveling the origin and evolution of life. By applying a thermochronological perspective, this study reveals the evolution of habitability in Precambrian cratons, providing insights into where and when microbial communities may have flourished and identifying potential areas for the oldest records of chemolithotrophic microbes.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
D'Arcy R. Meyer-Dombard, Judy Malas
Summary: The subsurface, considered as a separate biosphere, is crucial to Earth systems and is connected to the surface biosphere through a thin layer of the Earth's crust. This review discusses the recent advancements in understanding the functional and genomic diversity of the subsurface biosphere, as well as the interactions between microbes and minerals for energy and carbon, and adaptations to extreme environments. It specifically focuses on deep subsurface studies in mines, laboratories, and boreholes, aiming to comprehend ecosystem functions holistically.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Horticulture
Chawisa Sukpitak, Kanogwan Seraypheap
Summary: A temporary water deficit after harvest can negatively affect the quality and vase life of orchids by inducing early flower senescence and increasing ethylene production. Furthermore, exposure to water deficit also leads to oxidative stress and the accumulation of antioxidant enzymes and osmolytes in the flowers. Despite the recovery of water content and other parameters, ethylene production remains high after rewatering.
SCIENTIA HORTICULTURAE
(2023)
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Nahui Olin Medina-Chavez, Michael Travisano
Summary: Archaea are a unique system for investigating the diversity of life, with the longest evolutionary history and the most diverse group of organisms. They exist in various environments, providing insight into the basis of survival under extreme conditions. Archaea are frequently found in microbial communities and have played a central role in the evolution of Eukaryotes. They can also be used as a proxy for studying life on other planets. Future advances will require both phylogenomic studies and improved techniques for isolation and cultivation.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Dagmar Koschnitzki, Ralf Moeller, Stefan Leuko, Bartos Przybyla, Kristina Beblo-Vranesevic, Reinhard Wirth, Harald Huber, Reinhard Rachel, Petra Rettberg
Summary: Radiation, either ionizing or non-ionizing, can harm cellular DNA integrity. Extremophilic microorganisms, like thermophilic archaea, show higher radiation tolerance. Ignicoccus hospitalis, a hyperthermophilic archaeon, displayed high survival and genome integrity under high doses of gamma radiation.
ARCHIVES OF MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Federica De Lise, Roberta Iacono, Andrea Strazzulli, Rosa Giglio, Nicola Curci, Luisa Maurelli, Rosario Avino, Antonio Carandente, Stefano Caliro, Alessandra Tortora, Fabio Lorenzini, Paola Di Donato, Marco Moracci, Beatrice Cobucci-Ponzano
Summary: Genetic decoding is flexible in Archaea due to recoding, allowing for the regulation of unusual amino acids and programmed frameshifting. The study on the recoded archaeal alpha-l-fucosidase in Saccharolobus solfataricus reveals an increase in the wild type mRNA under specific growth conditions, suggesting a different mechanism related to translation efficiency.
Review
Microbiology
Sophie L. Nixon, Emily Bonsall, Charles S. Cockell
Summary: Microbial iron reduction is a widespread and ancient metabolism that could potentially support microbial life on other planets. However, the exact limits of this metabolism are still not well understood. In this study, the authors investigated the limits of microbial iron reduction in different pH and temperature conditions. They found that microbial iron reduction is often observed at extremes of pH or temperature alone, but not when these extremes are combined. The results provide insights into the limits of microbial iron reduction and have implications for our understanding of the range of conditions that can support life.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Manasvi Lingam, Adam Frank, Amedeo Balbi
Summary: This paper quantifies the rate of information transmission in Earth's biosphere and technosphere using a heuristic model. The results suggest that the biosphere currently has a higher information transmission rate, but the technosphere may surpass it in the future, indicating the increasing dominance of technology.
Article
Microbiology
Scott F. George, Noah Fierer, Joseph S. Levy, Byron Adams
Summary: The study found significant differences in microbial community composition between on- and off-water track samples, with soil salinity being the best predictor of community composition. There was an inverse relationship between salinity and bacterial diversity. Water track formation significantly alters dry soil microbial communities, potentially influencing subsequent ecosystem functioning.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Sean McMahon, Magnus Ivarsson, David Wacey, Martin Saunders, Veneta Belivanova, David Muirhead, Pamela Knoll, Oliver Steinbock, Daniel A. Frost
Summary: This study explores the fossil record of Earth's deep biosphere, identifying inorganic microfilaments and tubules within ancient pores and fractures. While these objects bear similarities to mineralized microorganisms, they also resemble abiotic structures. The findings meet biogenicity criteria but are also subject to debate regarding their origins.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Brett Janis, Clinton Belott, Tyler Brockman, Michael A. Menze
Summary: This study found that the AfLEA1 protein is expressed in Artemia animals during their desiccation-tolerant life stages, exhibiting a transition from order to disorder. It was also observed that AfLEA1 interacts with other proteins and nucleic acids, promoting liquid-liquid phase separation during dehydration. Furthermore, the protein forms small biomolecular condensates in the cytoplasm. These findings suggest that the formation of biomolecular condensates may be a shared feature among multiple groups of LEA proteins in promoting water stress tolerance during anhydrobiosis.
Article
Microbiology
Julia M. McGonigle, Jeremiah A. Bernau, Brenda B. Bowen, William J. Brazelton
Summary: The Bonneville Salt Flats is a unique ecosystem created by 10,000 years of desiccation and serves as a natural laboratory for studying the habitability of salty and gypsum-rich environments. Gypsum-rich mineral deposits host diverse organisms and play a key role in sulfur and nitrogen cycling. This study reveals the metabolic potential of the microbial ecosystem in the salt flats and its relevance to potential subsurface microbial ecosystems on Mars.
Article
Microbiology
Francesca Pittino, Krzysztof Zawierucha, Ewa Poniecka, Jakub Buda, Asia Rosatelli, Simone Zordan, Roberto S. Azzoni, Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Roberto Ambrosini, Andrea Franzetti
Summary: Recent evidence has revealed the presence of a potential niche for anaerobic microorganisms and processes in supraglacial sediments. This study used rRNA and mRNA sequencing to demonstrate that anaerobes are actively involved in these environments and play a significant role in ecosystem functions.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Review
Polymer Science
Justyna Mozejko-Ciesielska, Subhasree Ray, Shivangi Sankhyan
Summary: Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biodegradable polymers with great potential in addressing plastic pollution and advancing sustainable bioplastics production. Extremophilic bacteria, with their ability to thrive in extreme conditions, are attractive candidates for PHA synthesis. The use of renewable feedstocks aligns with the demand for sustainable bioplastic alternatives. This review focuses on extremophilic bacteria and explores recent advances in utilizing renewable feedstocks for PHA production. The integration of biorefinery concepts and circular economy principles in PHA manufacturing is also examined.
Article
Microbiology
Richa Salwan, Vivek Sharma
Summary: Organisms surviving in extreme environments rely on genomic adaptations to withstand extreme environmental stresses, providing important clues for basic and applied research.
MICROBIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Vihan M. Patel, Charles H. Lineweaver
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Luis Cisneros, Kimberly J. Bussey, Adam J. Orr, Milica Miocevic, Charles H. Lineweaver, Paul Davies
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Eriita G. Jones
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Haiyang S. Wang, Charles H. Lineweaver, Trevor R. Ireland
Article
Environmental Sciences
Parwati Sofan, David Bruce, Eriita Jones, Jackie Marsden
Correction
Environmental Sciences
Parwati Sofan, David Bruce, Eriita Jones, Jackie Marsden
Article
Environmental Sciences
Eriita G. Jones, Sebastien Wong, Anthony Milton, Joseph Sclauzero, Holly Whittenbury, Mark D. McDonnell
Article
Geography, Physical
Parwati Sofan, David Bruce, Wilfrid Schroeder, Eriita Jones, Jackie Marsden
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DIGITAL EARTH
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Parwati Sofan, David Bruce, Eriita Jones, M. Rokhis Khomarudin, Orbita Roswintiarti
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Charles H. Lineweaver, Kimberly J. Bussey, Anneke C. Blackburn, Paul C. W. Davies
Summary: Cancer onset and progression may involve a series of reversionary transitions, rather than a one-off cellular reversion. New predictions are made based on evolutionary transitions in our lineage, such as eukaryogenesis and oxidative phosphorylation. Modifications to phylostratigraphy are proposed to improve age resolution for testing these predictions.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Haiyang S. Wang, Charles H. Lineweaver, Sascha P. Quanz, Stephen J. Mojzsis, Trevor R. Ireland, Paolo A. Sossi, Fabian Seidler, Thierry Morel
Summary: The chemical composition and interior structure of rocky exoplanets are crucial for understanding their evolution and potential habitability. Observations suggest that the chemical composition of rocky planets is similar to their host stars for refractory elements but differs for volatiles, which can be explained by devolatilization during planetary formation and early evolution. Using a devolatilization model, researchers estimate the bulk composition of a potentially habitable rocky planet in the alpha Centauri binary system. Further modeling reveals similarities in the mantle, iron core, water-storage capacity, and early atmosphere compared to Earth, as well as differences in radionuclide heating and potentially prolonged stagnant-lid regimes.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Mark D. McDonnell, Eriita Jones, Megan E. Schwamb, K-Michael Aye, Ganna Portyankina, Candice J. Hansen
Summary: Dark deposits in the Martian south polar region are formed by explosive jets of carbon dioxide gas during springtime. Machine learning methods, specifically deep Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), were used to automatically identify these seasonal features in satellite imagery. The CNNs showed better performance in predicting the area and boundaries of seasonal deposits compared to ISODATA clustering, but were not effective in predicting the source point and directions of seasonal fans.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Charles H. Lineweaver
Summary: By conducting a Bayesian analysis, this study investigates whether the interstellar object 'Oumuamua was a light sail constructed by aliens or if it can be explained by natural processes. The research reveals that different estimates of prior odds play a significant role in the controversy and highlights that the existence of technological alien civilizations is primarily an issue of evolutionary biology rather than astronomy.
Review
Forestry
B. R. Myers, E. G. Jones, J. O'Hehir, J. Lawson
Summary: The management of wetlands within plantation forests is important for compliance with certification schemes and legal requirements. However, there is a lack of comprehensive guidance on setback vegetation and management, as well as a lack of evidence to support prescribed distances. Requirements and recommendations should be evidence-based and further studies are needed.
AUSTRALIAN FORESTRY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
J. D. A. Clarke, D. Willson, H. Smith, S. W. Hobbs, E. Jones
