In the global carbon cycle microorganisms have evolved a variety of methods for fixing carbon. Researchers have investigated the methods that are utilized at extremely hot, acidic and sulfur-rich ...

Scientists analyzed halite samples from 830 million years ago using optical techniques. Inside the samples, they found microorganisms such as bacteria, algae and fungi that may still be alive. NASA ...

A nutrient cycle refers to the exchange of organic and inorganic matter throughout an ecosystem, causing particular substances and elements to be sequestered, removed, recycled, and generated in the ...

Perfectly adapted microorganisms live in extreme environments from deep-sea trenches to mountaintops. Learning more about how these extremophiles survive in hostile conditions could inform scientists ...

In a landmark study of airborne microorganisms from ground level up to 3,500 meters, scientists have found that bacteria and fungi populate the planet's lower atmosphere in very specific ways, and if ...

The largest population on earth is never seen with the naked eye. They are everywhere – in our bodies, on our skin, in the air, in the water, and in the soil. They are referred to collectively as ...

Microbial communities, though invisible to the naked eye, are vitally important to planetary health and to Earth’s ecosystems. But they are often neglected in conservation strategies. Like other ...

Jaz Millar's research on glacier surface ecosystems and salt pan ecosystems were funded by the Natural Environmental Research Council and the Nuffield Science Bursary respectively. In the infamous ...

Microorganisms have been found living in tiny cracks within a 2-billion-year-old rock in South Africa, making this the oldest known rock to host life. The discovery could offer new insights into the ...

With so many coral reefs bleaching and pangolins being poached, it may seem tone-deaf to call for the conservation of species that are too small to see with the naked eye. But that’s exactly what the ...