Hypersaline Life and the Design of Global Cycles

Hypersaline Life and the Design of Global Cycles

TNRTB Archive – Retained for reference information

European microbiologists have found new evidence for the design of Earth and for the design of an unusual set of microbial species that benefits advanced life. They discovered a new order of prokaryotic life living in the most extreme terrestrial saline environment known, the deep hypersaline anoxic basins that lie just below the floor of the Mediterranean Sea. The design of these life forms that allows them to thrive under such extremely salty conditions is remarkable. The team also noted that the widespread sulfate reduction and methanogenesis carried out by these creatures make a significant contribution to the global cycles that are critical for sustaining advanced life. The design and function of such tiny creatures thriving beneath the ocean floor seem no accident of evolution.