Living Microörganisms in Ancient Rocks

Lipman, C. B.

doi:10.1128/jb.22.3.183-198.1931

Cited by 46 publications

(11 citation statements)

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“…Shortly afterwards, in the 1930s, microbiological studies on marine sediments demonstrated the existence of life in the oceanic subsurface (Zobell 1938;ZoBell and Anderson 1936). However, advances in this field in subsequent years were limited because of the lack of credibility by the scientific community (Lipman 1931). In addition, after observing that the combined effect of low temperatures and high pressure inhibited the growth of microorganisms in the ocean depths, the possibility of finding active life in the deep subsurface was severely questioned (Jannasch et al 1971).…”

Section: The Beginning Of the Deep Biosphere Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In 1988, Ghiorse and Wilson denounced the indifference towards the possible existence of life in terrestrial subsurface environments (Ghiorse and Wilson 1988). These authors pointed out that several studies had detected microorganisms in continental subterranean locations for decades, but they had been ignored and questioned due to the high risk of contamination during the sampling (Lipman 1931). For this reason, development and use of tracers were key in providing credibility to the study of life in subsurface environments, since they allow the control of the main sources of microbiological contamination during sampling (Kieft 2010).…”

Section: The Beginning Of the Deep Biosphere Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

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The deep continental subsurface: the dark biosphere

2018

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Although information from devoted geomicrobiological drilling studies is limited, it is clear that the results obtained so far call for a systematic exploration of the deep continental subsurface, similar to what has been accomplished in recent years by the Ocean Drilling Initiatives. In addition to devoted drillings from the surface, much of the continental subsurface data has been obtained using different subterranean Bwindows,^each with their correspondent limitations. In general, the number and diversity of microorganisms decrease with depth, and the abundance of Bacteria is superior to Archaea. Within Bacteria, the most commonly detected phyla correspond to Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes. Within Archaea, methanogens are recurrently detected in most analyzed subsurface samples. One of the most controversial topics in the study of subsurface environments is whether the available energy source is endogenous or partly dependent on products photosynthetically generated in the subsurface. More information, at better depth resolution, is needed to build up the catalog of deep subsurface microbiota and the biologically available electron acceptors and donors.

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Section: The Beginning Of the Deep Biosphere Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Beginning Of the Deep Biosphere Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

The deep continental subsurface: the dark biosphere

2018

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“…While the concept of coal beds hosting microbial life for millions of years has existed for almost a century ( 9 ), microbial activity and metabolic potential through time remain largely unknown in these systems. Measuring activity in the deep biosphere requires a balance between stimulating life enough to observe a metabolic signal and overstimulation of the system such that experimental conditions no longer approximate in situ conditions ( 10 ).…”

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confidence: 99%

Methyl-compound use and slow growth characterize microbial life in 2-km-deep subseafloor coal and shale beds

Trembath‐Reichert

Morono

Ijiri

et al. 2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

101

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SignificanceMicrobial cells are widespread in diverse deep subseafloor environments; however, the viability, growth, and ecophysiology of these low-abundance organisms are poorly understood. Using single-cell–targeted stable isotope probing incubations combined with nanometer-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry, we measured the metabolic activity and generation times of thermally adapted microorganisms within Miocene-aged coal and shale bed samples collected from 2 km below the seafloor during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 337. Microorganisms from the shale and coal were capable of metabolizing methylated substrates, including methylamine and methanol, when incubated at their in situ temperature of 45 °C, but had exceedingly slow growth, with biomass generation times ranging from less than a year to hundreds of years as measured by the passive tracer deuterated water.

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“…It is barely possible that bacteria remain alive for infinite times in the absence of oxygen. Lipman (1931) has succeeded in demonstrating living bacteria in coal. The rate of death becomes smaller when we eliminate the main cause of death.…”

Section: Death Of Dry Bacteriamentioning

confidence: 99%

Physiology of bacteria, by Otto Rahn. With forty-two illustrations.

Rahn¹

1932

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Preface vii PHYSIOLOGY OF BACTERIA isms is more fit for this purpose than the lowest fungi which Hve on dissolved food. That some of the human physiologists do not agree entirely with this viewpoint, may be seen from the following statement in Bayliss' 'Principles of General Physiology" (1924): ''Without denying the great value of the comparative method in ehminating merely incidental phenomena, it must be pointed out that this very simplicity is, in the majority of cases, a disadvantage. The same organ, or even cell, fulfils a variety of purposes which, in the higher organisms, are relegated to distinct groups of cells. Moreover, the size of the organism is of much importance. The science of nutrition would be almost impossible without the larger, warm-blooded animals. The advantage of the increased rate of reactions, owing to the higher temperature, is not to be undervalued. we have hardly any means to differentiate them chemically (see also Introduction to^^Growth'' p. 162). Besides energy formation and growth, all living organisms share one more property: they all must die. Starvation, poison, excessive heat will kill all living cells, and we know that organisms will die of old age in a natural way. Though there are great variations in to 0.6% of the protein nitrogen. 9 10 PHYSIOLOGY OF BACTERIA Normally chlorophyl plants do not excrete protein cleavage products. There are many observations indicating that green plants in the dark not only break down their carbohydrates, but also their proteins. Yet, their synthetic action seems to be so powerful that all 26 PHYSIOLOGY OF BACTERIA while those with a large energy yield are endo-enzymes. Lactase with twenty-three calories is sometimes soluble; sometimes, it is an endo-enzyme. Miquel's claim that urease is a soluble enzyme will be discussed on p. 36. Attention should be called to the fact that the entire amount of liberated energy does not always become available for growth, for thermodynamic reasons. These will be discussed in the chapter on Growth. Ordinarily, in organic fermentations, the difference between available and total liberated energy is small; furthermore, only a small fraction of the available energy is used for growth, even under ideal conditions. (c) METHODS OF MEASURING ENERGY YIELDS We have various means of measuring the amount of energy liberated in a fermentation. It is possible to compute it as the difference of the heats of combustion of the fermented material and of the products. This computation is not very accurate since the error in combustion heat determinations becomes greatly increased if we have to consider the difference of two combustion heats of nearly the same magnitude. The inaccuracy is increased by the necessary corrections for the heats of solutions of products and for gases escaping. A good compilation of combustion heats is given by Kharasch (1929). This method may be illustrated by the following example: * Another peculiar type of oxygen-free fermentation is the spUtting of fatty acids into CH4 and CO2 (Thayer, 1931). Bio...

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Living Microörganisms in Ancient Rocks

Cited by 46 publications

References 0 publications

The deep continental subsurface: the dark biosphere

The deep continental subsurface: the dark biosphere

Methyl-compound use and slow growth characterize microbial life in 2-km-deep subseafloor coal and shale beds

Physiology of bacteria, by Otto Rahn. With forty-two illustrations.

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