New Research on Microbes Expands the Known Limits for Life
A new study on microbes in extremely salty water suggests life may survive conditions previously thought to be uninhabitable. The research widens the possibilities for where life may be found throughout our solar system and shows how changes in salinity may affect life in aquatic habitats on Earth.
Oceans Across Space and Time
The research is part of a large collaboration called Oceans Across Space and Time led by Britney Schmidt, associate professor of astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences and of Earth and atmospheric sciences at Cornell Engineering. The project is funded by
Groundbreaking Research on Salinity and Microbial Life
The new study, “Single-cell analysis in hypersaline brines predicts a water-activity limit of microbial anabolic activity,” published recently in the journal DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj3594
The research is supported by NASA’s Oceans Across Space and Time Project, led by Cornell University, and the Simons Foundation through an Early Career Investigator Award to senior study author Anne Dekas at Stanford.