Word of the day: Chemosynthesis

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemosynthesis

To think that this process may be enabling life on other worlds is inspiring.

#chemistry #explore #Chemosynthesis

#KnowledgeByte: #Chemosynthesis is a process by which certain organisms, primarily bacteria, use chemical energy to produce organic matter from inorganic substances.

Unlike #Photosynthesis, which uses sunlight as an energy source, chemosynthesis relies on the oxidation of inorganic compounds, such as hydrogen sulfide, methane, or ammonia, to generate energy.  

https://knowledgezone.co.in/posts/What-Is-Chemosynthesis-672f819017920b14062a35b5

Fields of #worms and snowy microbial mats: #DeepSea submersible discovers flourishing ecosystem https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/deep-sea-creatures-discovery-hadal-trench-submersible-rcna222158

"There were dense beds of #clams, each up to 9 inches long, and snow-like #MicrobialMats creating an ethereal undersea dusting, dozens of feet wide. This is the first time #chemosynthesis-based communities directly observed at extreme depths... Long-standing theories suggest that chemosynthesis-based communities are widespread in hadal trenches, but few have been discovered"

#KnowledgeByte: #Chemosynthesis is a process by which certain organisms, primarily bacteria, use chemical energy to produce organic matter from inorganic substances.

Unlike #Photosynthesis, which uses sunlight as an energy source, chemosynthesis relies on the oxidation of inorganic compounds, such as hydrogen sulfide, methane, or ammonia, to generate energy.  

https://knowledgezone.co.in/posts/What-Is-Chemosynthesis-672f819017920b14062a35b5

The Earth's deepest living organisms may hold clues to alien life on Mars

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240821-could-alien-life-survive-in-deep-lakes-below-mars-surface

> To understand the life that might survive deep below Mars' surface, we can look to some of the deepest, and oldest, forms of living organism on our own planet.

#life #alienlife #chemosynthesis

Investigating newly discovered #HydrothermalVents at depths of 3,000 meters off #Svalbard
https://phys.org/news/2024-06-newly-hydrothermal-vents-depths-meters.html paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-60802-3

"At depths greater than 3000m, the remote-controlled #submersible vehicle MARUM-QUEST took samples from the newly discovered #hydrothermal field... hydrothermal fluids form the basis for #chemosynthesis, which is employed by organisms in #symbiosis with #bacteria."

Deep-sea #hydrothermal vents are hot springs on the #ocean floor.

Around these vents, far from any sunlight, vibrant biological communities are found.

Here, #microbes play the role of primary producers through #chemosynthesis—similar to the role that plants play on land through photosynthesis.

Now, a newly discovered bacterial species from a hydrothermal vent throws light on microbial #evolution.

https://phys.org/news/2023-11-bacterial-species-hydrothermal-vent-microbial.html

Paper by Mino et al. (2023):
https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/ijsem/10.1099/ijsem.0.006132

Bacteria use life's original energy source to thrive in the ocean's lightless depths
https://theconversation.com/bacteria-use-lifes-original-energy-source-to-thrive-in-the-oceans-lightless-depths-199177 by @Zahra_F_Islam

Molecular hydrogen in seawater supports growth of diverse marine bacteria https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-023-01322-0

"Eight distantly related groups, or phyla, of #bacteria made the #enzymes to use #hydrogen and #CarbonMonoxide. Clearly #chemosynthesis is a far more widespread strategy in the oceans than previously thought!"