Antarctica: New Bacterium in subglacial lake

Mega

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Mar 9, 2013, 6:30:12 AM3/9/13

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Haven't seen this posted before...

Russian researvchers found a new bacterium in subglacial Lake Vostok in Antarctica. The lake has been covered with ice at least a million years.

http://news.discovery.com/earth/russia-finds-new-bacteria-antarctic-lake-130307.htm

<86% homology to the closest relative bacterium.

Has anyone an idea where to get that bug? Maybe fun to learn new things about an entire new bacterium.

But, just maybe, it can be dangerous... Although it hasn't seen mammals for millions of years, it won't have evolved to harm us, I guess...

Dakota Hamill

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Mar 9, 2013, 8:58:34 AM3/9/13

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I doubt they will be letting very many people have access to it. It cost a lot of money and time to get it, and the people who have it now will be able to publish a lot of new findings. Very cool though there is still so much of our own planet we have yet to explore. Who knows...you could find a new micro-organism just sampling dirt from your back yard!

I wonder if there are vertebrates down there in the lake, that'd be extreme!

Mega

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Mar 9, 2013, 12:07:00 PM3/9/13

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I wonder if there are vertebrates down there in the lake, that'd be extreme!

Yeah, but I doubt that...

Bacteria may find enough to survive... And if not, they can just hibernate... But for vertebrates they would have to consume ~ 10 kg to produce 1 kg body weight. And in this extreme environment, there may just not be enough to eat for them? But, I hope I'm wrong :D

Koeng

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Mar 10, 2013, 12:38:43 AM3/10/13

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I wish I could get a sample of that bacterium.. I would think the only way they will let it out is if a lot of people actually want it or you request it directly. If you ever do get your hands on it I would love to have a sample :D

Patrik D'haeseleer

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Mar 10, 2013, 5:48:04 AM3/10/13

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Chances are they don't have an isolate - just the DNA, and possibly just a 16S sequence. Only a tiny fraction of microorganisms found in the environment can be cultured, and for an extremophile that doesn't look anything like a known organism, that is bound to be even more true.

We'll have to wait for the paper to come out to get more details. But don't hold your breath...

Patrik

On Saturday, March 9, 2013 3:30:12 AM UTC-8, Mega wrote:

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