Mechanism of water extraction from gypsum rock by desert colonizing microorganisms
Abstract
This research provides an in-depth analysis of how microorganisms are able to survive in the world’s driest non-polar place, the Atacama Desert, Chile. We show that these organisms extract water from gypsum rocks in this desert, enabling these colonizing microorganisms to sustain life in this extreme environment. We believe the results in this work could not only shed light on how microorganisms can obtain water under severe xeric conditions, but also provide insights into potential life in even more extreme environments, such as Mars, as well as offer strategies for advanced water storage methods.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- May 04, 2020
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.2001613117
Entities
People
- David J Kisailus
- Emine Ertekin
- Jocelyne DiRuggiero
- Luz Cruz
- Micah Dailey
- Taifeng Wang
- Wei Huang
Organizations
- Army Research Office
- Johns Hopkins University
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- University of California