According to a recent study, microbes can survive in saltier water than previously thought. The research suggests that life may survive in conditions that were previously thought to be uninhabitable.
Bacteria thrive in environments with a balanced salt concentration. However, some bacteria, known as halophiles, are adapted to high-salt environments and thrive in salt water.
The concentration of salt needed to kill bacteria varies depending on the type of bacteria. For example, some microbes can survive and grow after being dried and then re-wetted with humidity only.
Microorganisms belonging to the three domains of life (Archaea, Bacteria and Eukarya) can be found in saline environments. These microorganisms are adapted to life at high salt concentrations and to the high osmotic pressure of their environment.
Stanford 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
According to a recent Stanford University study, microbes can survive in extremely salty water conditions that were previously thought to be uninhabitable. The study suggests that life may exist in conditions that were previously thought to be uninhabitable.
The study also expands the known limits for life on Earth and beyond. It shows how changes in salinity may affect life in aquatic habitats on Earth.
The study found that communities of “halophilic microbes” are diverse and rich in biomass, even when saturated with sodium chloride (table salt). “Halophilic microbes” are organisms adapted to live at high salt levels.
The study also widens the possibilities for where life may be found throughout our solar system.
According to a Stanford study, microbes in extremely salty water may survive conditions that were previously thought to be uninhabitable. This research suggests that life may be found in more places throughout the solar system than previously thought.
Salinity levels in aquatic ecosystems can directly affect the health and survival of marine life. Changes in salinity can cause stress on organisms and disrupt their physiological processes.
Here are some ways salinity can affect aquatic ecosystems:
- Density: Water with higher salinity is denser and heavier, and will sink underneath less saline, warmer water. This can affect the movement of ocean currents.
- Evaporation: Salinity can change how fast the water evaporates.
- Oxygen: Salinity can change how much oxygen is required for life.
- Nutrients: Salinity can change how many nutrients plants can absorb from water.
Some consequences of salinity fluctuations include: Biodiversity loss, Algal blooms, Coral bleaching.
On Earth, it seems to be true that life will find a way; in the deepest ocean, the saltiest ocean or the highest mountain, live seems to find a way to get a foothold. One of the key ingredients for life seems to be the necessity for water. Until now, it was thought that there was a limit to the level of salinity within which life could thrive. A team of biologists have found bacterial life thrives in salty ponds where the water evaporates leaving high levels of salt. This only serves to expand the likely envrionments across the Universe that life could evolve.
The research is part of a larger program of work called Oceans Across Space and Time which is led by Cornell Iniversity and funded by NASAs Astrobiology program. It has the ambitious aim to understand how ocean worlds and life co-evolve to produce detectable signs of life, past or present
Astrobiology is a scientific field that studies the origins, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. It uses a variety of sciences, including physics, chemistry, biology, and geology, to investigate the possibility of life on other worlds.
NASA’s Ocean Worlds Exploration Search for Life has the goal of characterizing the oceans of each ocean world, including the ocean interfaces and seafloor. The search also aims to identify potential habitats and signs of past or present life.
For example, NASA’s Cassini mission discovered that Enceladus, one of Jupiter’s moons, has a global ocean of liquid water beneath its icy shell. This underground ocean vents into space, feeding the moon’s plume, which sprays from deep fissures near the moon’s south pole.
Please like subscribe comment your precious thoughts on my blogs in universe discoveries ( the destination for latest universe discoveries and science discoveries)
Full article source google
https://e85edngocysyixmax9uf47-byt.hop.clickbank.net
Universe discoveries 