Behemoth Bacteria

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Behemoth Bacteria

Giant sulfur bacteria inhabit anoxic sediments in the eastern South Pacific. Photo: Carola Espinoza, FONDECYT 1070552, Universidad de Concepcion, Chile.

A diverse set of giant, filamentous, multicellular marine bacteria was discovered by Census researchers in the eastern South Pacific These bacteria may be “living fossils” that developed in the earliest ocean when oxygen was either absent or much diminished, and lived on the toxic gas hydrogen sulfide. Scientists hypothesize that communities of bacteria may hold potential for bioremediation of organically polluted bottoms, and because of their ability to survive in anoxic conditions, may be an important clue in the search for extraterrestrial life.

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International Census Of Marine Microbes

About | Education & Outreach Team | Mapping & Visualization Team
© Census of Marine Life 2009

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Project	ICoMM
Theme *1	New Species
Location	-79.1, -35.16
Altitude (m)	0.0
Submitted by	Frank Baker (fbaker@gso.uri.edu)
To be approved by	()
Date added	2009/07/15 17:28:59
Date updated	2010/06/09 14:21:45
Thumbnail updated	Y

*1: Theme is not currently used or presented in Google Earth.

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