Journey Toward The Center Of The Earth: One-of-a-kind Microorganism Lives All Alone

Source: Science Daily

The first ecosystem ever found having only a single biological species has been discovered 2.8 kilometers (1.74 miles) beneath the surface of the earth in the Mponeng gold mine near Johannesburg, South Africa. There the rod-shaped bacterium Desulforudis audaxviator exists in complete isolation, total darkness, a lack of oxygen, and 60-degree-Celsius heat (140 degrees Fahrenheit).

News & Events

Berkeley Lab Takes Part in a New Biology Integration Institute Funded by NSF

September 1, 2020

Berkeley Lab is one of 14 organizations from around the world that have collectively been awarded $12.5 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to launch a new Biology Integration Institute (BII), called EMERGE and led by Ohio State University. The Institute aims to improve understanding of ecosystem-climate interactions, focusing on permafrost systems. Bill Riley…

Two EESA early-career scientists to compete in Research SLAM

August 25, 2020

Twelve early career scientists will go head-to-head in the third annual Berkeley Lab SLAM on Sept. 17, competing for a grand prize of $3,000. From EESA, James Dennedy-Frank and Sara Gushgari-Doyle are among the finalists. The event takes place virtually from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will be live-streamed. The virtual audience will get…

Berkeley Lab study finds warmer California temperatures by mid-century will be too hot for some crops, just right for others

Record drought and heat have some farmers worried about where and when crops can be grown in the future, even in California where unprecedented microclimate diversity creates ideal growing conditions for many of the most popular items in America’s grocery stores. A third of the vegetables and two-thirds of fruits and nuts consumed by Americans…

Global Methane Emissions Soaring, But How Much Was Due to Wetlands?

August 20, 2020

Last month, an international team of scientists, including Berkeley Lab’s William Riley and Qing Zhu, published an update on the global methane budget as part of the Global Carbon Project. They estimated annual global methane emissions at nearly 570 million tons for the 2008 to 2017 decade, which is 5% higher than emissions recorded for the early 2000s and the equivalent of 189 million more cars on the world’s roads.