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2 clusters · 4 sources · 3 days · First seen · Last updated

Microbial life in Red Sea brine pools

Overview

Research into the Red Sea’s hypersaline, oxygen-free brine pools has revealed that these extreme environments host specialized bacteria and archaea. Studies conducted by the University of Miami and OceanX between 2020 and 2023 focused on sites such as the Hume Deep and the active NEOM brine pool in the Gulf of Aqaba at a depth of 1,770 meters.

Scientists found that these microorganisms actively influence the chemical composition of the ocean floor by oxidizing metals like manganese and iron to produce energy. This process results in metal concentrations, including manganese, iron, molybdenum, and copper, that can be more than 100 times higher than in surrounding areas.

At the Hume Deep, evidence from extinct pools suggests these environments can form and vanish over millennia, with activity estimated between approximately 1,990 and 16,170 years ago. These findings suggest that such geochemical signatures may provide clues into how primitive life forms obtained energy on early Earth prior to the Great Oxidation Event.

Entities

OceanX · AGU Advances · Red Sea · Hume Deep · NEOM

Timeline

  1. [TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
    Red Sea brine pools host unique microorganisms in extreme conditions

    Researchers have discovered specialized microorganisms living in oxygen-free, hypersaline brine pools in the Red Sea, providing insights into how early life may have survived on Earth.

  2. [TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
    Red Sea brine pools reveal clues to early life energy sources

    Researchers studying Red Sea brine pools found that microorganisms thriving in extreme, oxygen-free conditions may reveal how early life obtained energy through metal oxidation before the rise of atmospheric氧.

Sources

aventurasnahistoria.uol.com.br · ecozen.gr · revistagalileu.globo.com · techmaniacs.gr