Oneorganism Ecosystem Discovered in African Gold Mine
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3/19/14 One-Organism Ecosystem Discovered in African Gold Mine - Wired Science Science News for Your Neurons Share on Facebook 85 shares Tweet 7 0 Share 2 OneOrganism Ecosystem Discovered in African Gold Mine By Alexis Madrigal 10.09.08 11:19 AM Edit In the hot, dark water of a South African mine, scientists have found the world’s loneliest species. Everywhere else biologists have studied life on our planet, they’ve found communities of life, but today, biologists announced they have discovered an ecosystem that contains just a single species of bacteria. www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/10/one-organism-ec/ 1/32 3/19/14 One-Organism Ecosystem Discovered in African Gold Mine - Wired Science In all other known ecosystems, the key functions of life — harvesting energy and elements like carbon and nitrogen from the environment — have been shared among different species. But in the water of the Mponeng gold mine, two miles under the earth’s surface, Desulforudis audaxviator carries out all of those functions by itself. In short, it’s the tidiest package of life found yet. "It is possible to pack everything necessary for maintaining life into one genome," said Dylan Chivian of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. All known life forms need carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and an energy source to live. Plants need nitrogen, but can’t just pull it from the atmosphere and start using it to make amino acids. Instead, they rely on archaea for that task. Interconnections like these form the basis of an ecosystem, often cheesily called the ‘web of life’. What makes D. audaxviator so special is that its genome, cobbled together from bacterial and archaeal genes, can carry out all life’s functions by itself. That could make the bug a prime candidate for any attempt to see if Earth’s microbes could live in some other extreme environment within the solar system. "Since it could live on its own on Earth, if it were given a matching habitat elsewhere, it could live," said Chivian. Images: 1. Inside a tunnel in the Mponeng mine. Courtesy Anglo Gold. 2. D. audaxviator‘s genome annotated by Chivian. Courtesy Science. WiSci 2.0: Alexis Madrigal’s Twitter , Google Reader feed and web page; Wired Science on Facebook. WE RE COMME ND RE C O M M E NDE D B Y Whoa: Watch Scientists Use Sound Waves to Make Things Levitate www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/10/one-organism-ec/ 2/32 3/19/14 One-Organism Ecosystem Discovered in African Gold Mine - Wired Science Three Science Words We Should Stop Using 8 things I wish I knew about Psoriasis - HE A LT H C E NT RA L Tags: Bacteria Post Comment | 192 Comments | Permalink Back to top Share on Facebook 85 shares www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/10/one-organism-ec/ 3/32 3/19/14 One-Organism Ecosystem Discovered in African Gold Mine - Wired Science Tweet 7 0 Reddit Digg Stumble Upon Email Comments for this thread are now closed. × 192 Comments Wired: Science Login Sort by Oldest Share Favorite all4naija • 5 years ago They should take it on the next Maltian voyage. How possible it will survive in a sulfphur proned planet is challenging to me. 2 • Share › all4naija • 5 years ago They should take it on the next Maltian voyage. How possible it will survive in a sulfphur proned planet is challenging to me. • Share › all4naija • 5 years ago They should take it on the next Maltian voyage. How possible it will survive in a sulfphur proned planet is challenging to me. • Share › d • 5 years ago I herd they should take it on the next Maltian voyage. • Share › p • 5 years ago Dude, where did you hear that? • Share › MooreCowbell • 5 years ago Call me crazy, but I'm thinking that maybe they should take it on the next Maltian voyage. • Share › MooreCowbell • 5 years ago Call me crazy, but I'm thinking that maybe they should take it on the next Maltian voyage. • Share › A. L. Flanagan • 5 years ago I didn't know Malta was a high-sulfur environment. Amazing what you learn on the Internet! • Share › www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/10/one-organism-ec/ 4/32 3/19/14 One-Organism Ecosystem Discovered in African Gold Mine - Wired Science Save us Jebus • 5 years ago Geez, people! 1 • Share › Sierra Club • 5 years ago I'm from the Sierra Club, we need to preserve the ecosystem for that bacteria. We will be filing suit immediately in South African court to force closure of the gold mine so the bacteria can live in peace. • Share › t • 5 years ago Please read the name of the organism. It includes sulfur in its name, hence it will survive nicely on sulfur. Remember your organic chemistry includes carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur. Yes, sulfur. And I believe that you mean the next Martian, not Maltian mission. 1 • Share › q • 5 years ago Barack Obama wants to use your tax payer money to fund Maltian missions. He's a secret Maltian. 1 • Share › Maltian • 5 years ago Maltian 1 • Share › I Like Malts • 5 years ago Malts are tasty. 1 • Share › maltian sulfur • 5 years ago this is why i love the internet. 1 • Share › Ice-cream • 5 years ago I love malted milk shakes! 1 • Share › jauaflash • 5 years ago I think we should use it to bioengineer conservatives so they don't have to breed, and then we can ship them to Maltia. 1 • Share › sascha • 5 years ago malteasers are a pretty tidy package too... www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/10/one-organism-ec/ 5/32 3/19/14 One-Organism Ecosystem Discovered in African Gold Mine - Wired Science malteasers are a pretty tidy package too... • Share › James • 5 years ago Maybe they should use it to create life in the atom smasher. • Share › ersatz • 5 years ago I heard that if you dry out these bacteria, and then smoke them, it'll send you on a maltian voyage! • Share › Ronnie • 5 years ago Whaddya mean ya ain't got no Schlitz Maltian Liqua?! • Share › sulfphuric malt • 5 years ago They Have Never Even Been To Maltia. All The Voyages Were Faked. • Share › Jouhai • 5 years ago This is clear evidence of a Maltian invasions preemptive strike. • Share › amfoxline • 5 years ago Last night I watched a Star Trek episode (original series, season 1, around episode 25) called The Devil in the Dark (I think...). In it Kirk and his ship are called to a colonized planet to help fellow humans. The planet is in effect a giant precious metals mine. All inhabitants work to supply their corner of the universe with gold, silver, platinum and other metals. But... they are being killed by a monster in the depths of the mines. It turns out that they have stumbled across a One-Organism Ecosystem in Their Gold Mine!!! And the organism doesn't want them there. You'll have to watch the rest to find out what happens, but I had to share this story given the eerie similarities. • Share › onestep • 5 years ago Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/10/one-organism-ec/ 6/32 3/19/14 One-Organism Ecosystem Discovered in African Gold Mine - Wired Science Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/10/one-organism-ec/ 7/32 3/19/14 One-Organism Ecosystem Discovered in African Gold Mine - Wired Science Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian www.wired.com/wMireadlstciiaence/2008/10/one-organism-ec/ 8/32 3/19/14 One-Organism Ecosystem Discovered in African Gold Mine - Wired Science Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian Maltian no mames deverda? maltian jajaj hijo de la... 1 • Share › nin789 • 5 years ago guys! guys! guys!, just stick with the point, and that point is that I love malted milk shakes 1 • Share › MaltianLover • 5 years ago Praise to our self sufficient maltian overlords! 2 • Share › aditya menon MaltianLover • 3 years ago Now that was so funny that just "liking" it wasn't enough! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! • Share › gah! • 5 years ago hahahahhahahhahhhahaha • Share › Ben • 5 years ago Wrong! The loneliest organism in the world is me! 1 • Share › Maltian • 5 years ago Apparently Sarah Palin can see Maltia from Alaska. 1 • Share › Maltian • 5 years ago Apparently Sarah Palin can see Maltia from Alaska. • Share › www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/10/one-organism-ec/ 9/32 3/19/14 One-Organism Ecosystem Discovered in African Gold Mine - Wired Science Maltian • 5 years ago Apparently Sarah Palin can see Maltia from Alaska. • Share › benifactor • 5 years ago but you have multiple organisms in your body, so there your friends, you cant ever be alone again! • Share › Mudkip • 5 years ago So i herd u liek maltians 1 • Share › Mr. Madison • 5 years ago To all who continued the maltian discussion, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought.