Understanding the role of biology in planetary evolution remains an outstanding challenge
to geobiologists. Progress towards unravelling this puzzle for Earth is hindered by the …

Thermoacidophilic archaea belonging to the order Sulfolobales thrive in extreme biotopes,
such as sulfuric hot springs and ore deposits. These microorganisms have been model …

The geosphere and the microbial biosphere have co-evolved for~ 3.8 Ga, with many lines of
evidence suggesting a hydrothermal habitat for life's origin. However, the extent that …

Glacial comminution of bedrock generates fresh mineral surfaces capable of sustaining
chemotrophic microbial communities under the dark conditions that pervade subglacial …

Few aerobic hyperthermophilic microorganisms degrade polysaccharides. Here, we
describe the genome-enabled enrichment and optical tweezer-based isolation of an aerobic …

Thermophilic cyanobacteria have been extensively studied in Yellowstone National Park
(YNP) hot springs, particularly during decades of work on the thick laminated mats of …

Little is known of how mixing of meteoric and geothermal fluids supports biodiversity in non-
photosynthetic ecosystems. Here, we use metagenomic sequencing to investigate a …

Oxygen-dependent microbial oxidation of sulfur compounds leads to the acidification of
natural waters. How acidophiles and their acidic habitats evolved, however, is largely …

Tectonic processes control hot spring temperature and geochemistry, yet how this in turn
shapes microbial community composition is poorly understood. Here, we present …

The ability to harvest light to drive chemical reactions and gain energy provided microbes
access to high energy electron donors which fueled primary productivity, biogeochemical …