
Antarctica is teeming with microbes - lelf
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-lives-in-antarctica
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mnemonicsloth
I love Atlas Obscura, but this entry is kind of missing the point. _Every_
place on earth is teeming with microbes. Five thousand feet under the floor of
the Challenger deep, it's teeming with microbes. In sulfur hot springs where
the water is 20 degrees above boiling, it's teeming with microbes. Lakes so
salty they're literally painful to drink: microbes. Inside every single
specimen of multicellular life: thousands of species of microbes that live
nowhere else, each one doing something vital to help keep the host alive.

Microbes are the dominant variety of life on this planet. They take up more
than half the biomass. In terms of things like the oxygen, carbon and nitrogen
cycles, we're just passengers on planet Earth. The bugs are in charge [1].

[1]. Except the bugs are vastly outnumbered by the viruses (which aren't
alive). For every gram of live cells there are almost ten grams of viruses.

~~~
dntbnmpls
> [1]. Except the bugs are vastly outnumbered by the viruses (which aren't
> alive). For every gram of live cells there are almost ten grams of viruses.

Just like microbs, viruses are everywhere. Even all over humans.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_virome](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_virome)

And within human DNA.

[https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/03/160322100714.h...](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/03/160322100714.htm)

Turns out we are all part virus. There is an interesting book called
Virolution which detailed how viruses play a role in evolution.

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freepor
The largest total biomass per square meter of Earth’s area is in Antarctic
krill explosions fueled by nutrient upwelling in the Southern Ocean. It’s more
biomass per cross sectional area than even the land directly under a redwood
tree.

~~~
JoeAltmaier
Under a redwood? Aren't they coniferous? Means their needles fall, acidify the
soil, and essentially sterilize it. Forest floors are notoriously sterile
places.

Perhaps a jungle, bayou or prairie would be a better comparison?

~~~
homonculus1
Never change, HN... the biomass over the footprint of a redwood tree is equal
to the mass of the tree.

~~~
JoeAltmaier
But under the tree? That was the assertion...

~~~
dwaltrip
The tree itself is part of the "biomass per cross-sectional area" of the land
underneath the tree.

Although I wonder how cross-sectional area applies to oceans, as they are more
of a 3d phenomenon. Is it the entire column of water?

~~~
JoeAltmaier
Hm. If you say so.

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alikim
Here is the link to the interactive project spoken about in this interview:
[https://lifeundertheice.org](https://lifeundertheice.org)

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intrepidhero
Looking forward to reading this more carefully later. I find the idea of
visiting Antarctica super interesting and I'm glad she talks about the
prep/training that went into it as will as how science is done practically in
the coldest places on Earth.

I'm also curious if there are any valid concerns of super bugs getting
released from melting Antarctic ice? A bit morbid but all this unknown life
being released could have _interesting_ results.

~~~
RandallBrown
I'm not expert on these things, but if these microbes evolved without any
animals around, I wouldn't have expected them to evolve any of the
characteristics that make some bacteria harmful.

For example, our immune system should be able to handle them easily, because
they never had to fight an immune system before.

There _could_ be some crazy thing that happens, but I bet the odds are low
enough that we don't need to worry too much.

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acdanger
Coincidentally, I just learned about extremophiles last night in the book How
the Earth Turned Green by Joseph Armstrong. Excellent read, if you're into the
origins of life.

[https://www.amazon.com/How-Earth-Turned-Green-3-8-Billion-
Ye...](https://www.amazon.com/How-Earth-Turned-Green-3-8-Billion-
Year/dp/022606977X)

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josefresco
Related: Antarctica Sets Record High Temperature: 64.9 Degrees
[https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/08/climate/antarctica-
record...](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/08/climate/antarctica-record-
temperature.html)

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cryptoors
do u have any images?

