Scientists have discovered living things living in unbelievably hostile environments, from hot thermal vents to a lake buried under Antarctic ice to high-pressure deep ocean trenches. Now we have evidence of living things living in rocks under the bottom of the seas -with no access to sunlight at all.
Persisting in microscopic cracks in the basalt rocks of Earth’s oceanic crust is a complex microbial ecosystem fueled entirely by chemical reactions with rocks and seawater, rather than sunlight or the organic byproducts of light-harvesting terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Such modes of life, technically known as chemosynthetic, are not unprecedented, having also been found deep in mine shafts and around seafloor hydrothermal vents. Never before, though, have they been found on so vast a scale. In pure geographical area, these oceanic crust systems may contain the largest ecosystem on Earth.
“We know that Earth’s oceanic crust accounts for 60 percent of Earth’s surface, and on average is four miles thick,” said geomicrobiologist Mark Lever of Denmark’s Aarhuis University, part of a research team that describes the new systems March 14 in Science.
If what the researchers found resembles what’s found elsewhere below Earth’s oceans, continued Lever, “the largest ecosystem on Earth, by volume, is supported by chemosynthesis.”
This ecosystem is completely separated from all other life on earth, living without oxygen. Read about how they do it at Wired Science. Link
(Image crédit: Spencer et al./Science)
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Unrelated to SnowyDeath 2010, I'd like to submit Neatonauts for the nickname. It has a better ring to it, imho.
Being a teacher I've been off the whole week, so getting to work was never a worry for me. While the shoveling has gotten pretty old, it's actually been kind of nice to be able to stay home and catch up on some things around the house. And we've finally met some of our neighbors, since we just moved into our house 5 months ago.
The snow has taken down 2 metal porch awnings so far in this block. 2 more are set to go any time.
My job keeps calling me to come in and clean snow off cars at the auto auction. I'm not dumb, I really don't want to be covered in snow all day and then come home with pneumonia. It's not like it's a full time job or anything.
I'm sick of snow, know anywhere warm I can move to?
I'm actually looking forward to going to work tomorrow, it'll be relaxing.
I am not sure why this one gets all the media attention. Maybe because it hit DC as well when that it usually the southern limit of the big storms.
Anyway, good to see all the other Baltimoroneatonauts on her, Hey!
Did I say a foot of snow? In Texas?
Yes, here in Grand Prairie, TX (DFW) there is about 10 inches of snow on the ground and it's not supposed to stop falling (according to the clueless weathermen) for another five hours. I think it's wonderful and reminds me of my childhood winters, but everyone else down here is going nuts. And it's the great stuff that sticks together well for snowmen, too!
That's pretty sad.
I live in Oswego County, it you look at that satellite view, gander that lake fully in the frame, about center on the left, that's Lake Ontario, we live at the eastern (right) end of it. Oh, I should mention we get 180 inches a year. A. Year. 180. This is due to the lake effect snow machine, look that up if you don't know, but it can easily produce snow into the feet measured range in no time, a day, or less.
Everyone whining about snow don't know jack until you live in this area where your wimpy laughably nothing "blizzard" wouldn't even dent the daily grind. Heck, 6" wouldn't close school in these parts, neither would 12", you'll always find food on the store shelves, what you got is just another day up here.
Oh, and just north of me is Tug Hill, the snowiest place east of the Rockies, they get as much as 400" a year, and no, nobody panics, nobody freaks out, school, business, life goes on. Honestly all of us up here are laughing at the central east coast for being a bunch of pansies. Buck up people, you don't even know what snow is.