Deep model of life in space

2000/04/18 Roa Zubia, Guillermo - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Mikrobiologia

Surprise what can be found in the depth of the sea. Recently we had news of the smaller beings. This time of bacteria that can live in limited conditions.

Under the sea there are volcanoes, among others. That's not new, the rashes we've seen many times on TV are well known. What some scientists discovered in their eruptions is not unusual. John Baross and his group's microbiologists have discovered a strange microbe in the liquids that lead to the rash. Baross proposes for this microbe the new name of Saganella.

As hard as stones

Analyzing the situation found it is easy to understand what its eccentricism consists of. It is able to grow at very high temperatures, at least in an environment of 50-90º C. It also survives in cold conditions, as researchers have shown. “Not denaturalizing your protein at these temperatures is surprising,” explains Peter Fields, a biologist at Stantford University. Fields is an expert in Antarctic fish proteins.

It is very difficult to catch microbes living in these conditions. Some live dark, others without oxygen or other food. This means they live in areas with strong conditions. With microbes, in addition, they are still harder to catch. Baross and his companions explore the seabed in search of underwater eruptions. You have to be at the right time and place, and that is difficult. But in the end, near the Pacific Northwest coast lies Saganella.

They say it is not a normal bacteria. We represent a group of ancient bacteria, archaea. It has a very peculiar metabolism, different from what Baross has seen so far. But the discovery has meant more occurrences. As published in the specialized journal Science, Saganella can be an example of life off Earth. The life we consider habitual requires oxygen, light and a certain type of metabolism. But the question is why should it always be so? On this occasion an example has been found that is not a theoretical invention, that is, a being who lives in very special conditions. On Earth they are very special conditions, but they can easily be found on another planet. The debate can be there. Saganella's life will provoke new ideas and interesting research.