Microbes can be found in just about any environment on Earth, including the bubbling hot springs at Yellowstone National Park. Few organisms can withstand the scalding waters, as one poor bison recently discovered. However, understanding how these microbes have survived and adapted in this harsh environment could help us comprehend how life evolved on Earth and why these hot springs are a vital part of scientific research.
A study, published in Nature Communications, analyzes three microbes collected from two different hot springs in Yellowstone National Park and reveals how they may have adapted in a low-oxygen environment and evolved to live today.
For this study, researchers from Montana State University (MSU) analyzed three microbes from the park: Aquificota (Thermocrinis), Pyropristinus (Caldipriscus), and Thermoproteota (Pyrobaculum). All three of these microbes are thermophilic, meaning they thrive in high temperatures, such as the 190 degrees Fahrenheit hot springs from which they were collected.
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