Navigation Links
From hot springs to rice farms, scientists reveal new insights into the secret lives of archaea

ving,'' Francis said. ''Then, in 2005, our understanding of what some of these organisms are doing in the environment shifted dramatically.''

That year, Francis and other scientists conducted independent studies on Crenarchaeota, a division of the Archaea domain that includes thermophiles and non-extremophiles. ''Crenarchaeota are everywhere-in soils, sediments, the deep subsurface and the ocean,'' he said. ''They are potentially the most abundant organism on Earth, yet we really had no idea how they survive in the ocean.''

Non-extremophilic Crenarchaeota are fascinating, according to Francis, in large part because of their potentially vital role in cycling the global supply of nitrogen. All living things need nitrogen to make proteins, DNA and other biomolecules. Nearly 80 percent of the atmosphere consists of nitrogen gas, which, unlike oxygen, cannot be absorbed by most organisms. Getting usable nitrogen turns out to be a complicated biological process. First, special ''nitrogen-fixing'' bacteria in the environment convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia, then ''nitrifying'' bacteria oxidize the ammonia into nitrites and nitrates, which are readily absorbed by plants or removed by other microbes. Animals and people, in turn, obtain nitrogen by eating plants and other herbivorous animals.

That was the dogma taught for decades in biology classes-until September 2005, when David Stahl of the University of Washington showed that bacteria do not have a monopoly on nitrification. In a unique laboratory experiment, Stahl and his colleagues demonstrated for the first time that archaea-in this case, marine Crenarcheaota-also oxidize ammonia into nitrite.

Less than a month later, Francis and his colleagues published a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS) showing that ammonia-oxidizing Crenarchaeota are pervasive in water columns and sediments throughout the ocean. Then in July 2006, German microbiolog
'"/>

Source:Stanford University


Page: 1 2 3 4 5

Related biology news :

1. Nano springs eternal; Protozoan engine posts nano records
2. Protein nanosprings most resilient found in nature
3. WCS says avian flu prevention should focus on farms, markets
4. Wisconsin scientists grow critical nerve cells
5. UCSB scientists probe sea floor venting to gain understanding of early life on Earth
6. UAB scientists discover the origin of a mysterious physical force
7. Fox Chase Cancer Center scientists identify immune-system mutation
8. Weizmann Institute scientists develop a new approach for directing treatment to metastasized prostate cancer in the bones.
9. U-M scientists find genes that control growth of common skin cancer
10. UCLA scientists transform HIV into cancer-seeking missile
11. RNA project to create language for scientists worldwide
Post Your Comments:
(Date:5/22/2013)... May 22, 2013 Early screening for prostate cancer ... testing is for women, thanks to UC Irvine research ... Chemical Society . , After more than a decade ... to clearly identify clinically usable markers for prostate cancer ... far sooner, with greater accuracy and at dramatically lower ...
(Date:5/21/2013)... long time that some creatures evolve more quickly than ... But it may be that height plays a role, ... U. S. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center. , In ... journal Nature Communications , Lanfear and colleagues report ... a database of global patterns in plant height for ...
(Date:5/21/2013)... new analysis shows that the nation,s land and water ... to produce up to 25 billion gallons of algae-based ... the country,s yearly needs. , The findings come from ... be needed to grow significant amounts of algae in ... in the May 7 issue of Environmental Science ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):UCI chemists devise inexpensive, accurate way to detect prostate cancer 2UCI chemists devise inexpensive, accurate way to detect prostate cancer 3Small but speedy: Short plants live in the evolutionary fast lane 2Going green: Nation equipped to grow serious amounts of pond scum for fuel 2Going green: Nation equipped to grow serious amounts of pond scum for fuel 3Going green: Nation equipped to grow serious amounts of pond scum for fuel 4
... over 5,000 people living with the joint disorder ankylosing ... with increased susceptibility to the condition as well as ... treated in the future. The study, a collaboration ... Case Control Consortium, also provides one of the first ...
... of Houston researcher is an author on a landmark ... form of ovarian cancer that is published in the ... Ovarian cancer is the fifth-leading cause of cancer death ... study, which was conducted by The Cancer Genome Atlas ...
... ANN ARBOR, Mich.---Oh, the challenges of being a ... secretion and sensitivity to touch, sound and light, yet ... How on earth are busy nerve cells supposed ... all that information overload? Somehow neurons do manage ...
Cached Biology News:Unlocking the genetics and biology of ankylosing spondylitis 2Unlocking the genetics and biology of ankylosing spondylitis 3Unlocking the genetics and biology of ankylosing spondylitis 4University of Houston researcher an author of multi-institutional genetic study of ovarian cancer 2University of Houston researcher an author of multi-institutional genetic study of ovarian cancer 3Scientists discover how best to excite brain cells 2
(Date:5/22/2013)... Boston, MA (PRWEB) May 22, 2013 ... convene in Alexandria, VA for the Oak ... 17th which will take place at the Hilton ... the Biodetection Technologies 2013 conference on ... Organizations Already Participating: , AdSave, American Elements, Applied ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... The Conference Forum announced the launch ... Trials conference taking place on September 19-20 at the ... Disruptive thinkers from Novartis, Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Shire, Medimmune, ... reduce expensive infrastructure, engage patients and generate credible clinical ... or novel, or it must change the very nature ...
(Date:5/22/2013)...  Superior Controls, Inc. has been named "Manufacturing/Technology ... Magazine.  For the past 22 years, the magazine ... with extraordinary business and civic excellence. ... said Rick Pierro , President ... award is a reflection of Superior Controls, continuing ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... , May 22, 2013  Cleveland BioLabs, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBLI) ... the Second Annual Marcum LLP Microcap Conference, May 30, in ... Neil Lyons , CPA, Chief Financial Officer ... programs on May 30 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time.  A ... available on the Investors page of the Cleveland BioLabs website ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Biodetection Technologies 2013 and Oak Ridge National Lab’s Biosurveillance Symposium to Bring Together Leading Organizations in Alexandria, VA from June 17-19, 2013 2Biodetection Technologies 2013 and Oak Ridge National Lab’s Biosurveillance Symposium to Bring Together Leading Organizations in Alexandria, VA from June 17-19, 2013 3Biodetection Technologies 2013 and Oak Ridge National Lab’s Biosurveillance Symposium to Bring Together Leading Organizations in Alexandria, VA from June 17-19, 2013 4Biodetection Technologies 2013 and Oak Ridge National Lab’s Biosurveillance Symposium to Bring Together Leading Organizations in Alexandria, VA from June 17-19, 2013 5Disruptive Innovation Hits Clinical Trials, Dedicated Event Launches 2Superior Controls of Seabrook, NH named Business of the Year for 2013 by Business NH Magazine 2Cleveland BioLabs to Present at Second Annual Marcum LLP Microcap Conference 2
... 2011 Reportlinker.com announces that a new ... catalogue: Enzymes: Sustainable Alternatives ... http://www.reportlinker.com/p0501016/Enzymes-Sustainable-Alternatives-with-Remarkable-Scope.html?utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Biopharmaceutical Enzymes are among ... a whole host of different roles in ...
... four billion years of evolution, plants and animals grew ... new comparison of proteins shared across species finds that ... may have actually launched the long journey from microbe ... , suggests that the random introduction of errors into ...
... May 18, 2011 Biomerix Corporation and Cellon today ... 3D Scaffold , a novel three-dimensional tissue scaffold. Under ... 3D Scaffold to research institutions across Europe. ... polyurethane , the Biomerix 3D Scaffold is designed to ...
Cached Biology Technology:Reportlinker Adds Enzymes: Sustainable Alternatives with Remarkable Scope 2Reportlinker Adds Enzymes: Sustainable Alternatives with Remarkable Scope 3Errors in protein structure sparked evolution of biological complexity 2Errors in protein structure sparked evolution of biological complexity 3Biomerix Corporation Reaches European Distribution Agreement with Cellon S.A. 2
... Endothelin-1 (human, porcine) Endogenous potent ... ETA receptor and modulates vascular tonus. ET-1, ... three distinct endothelin genes. ET-2 and ET-3 ... two and six amino acids, respectively. All ...
Human sVCAM-1/CD106 ELI-PAIR Kit...
HNF-1 Purified Anti-Mouse, Anti-Rat, Anti-Rabbit, Anti-Human clone 2, Isotype Mouse IgG 1 , 50 µg Consult technical datasheet for details....
GLP-1 (HYB 147-12)...
Biology Products: