Microorganisms in Halite.

Ancient Cosmic Dust from Triassic Halite

Introduction: Until now micrometeorites have been extracted from limited periods of geological time (up to ~185-Myr-old) providing only a fragmented record of MM flux changes over geological time [1]. Because of preservation problems, we did not think MMs could be recovered from salt deposits (such as halite). Here we report that not only can MMs be found in, and successfully extracted from, ha...

Entrapment of bacteria in fluid inclusions in laboratory-grown halite.

Cells of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which were genetically modified to produce green fluorescent protein, were entrapped in fluid inclusions in laboratory-grown halite. The bacteria were used to inoculate NaCl-saturated aqueous solutions, which were allowed to evaporate and precipitate halite. The number, size, and distribution of fluid inclusions were highly variable, but did not ap...

Isolation of Halobacterium salinarum retrieved directly from halite brine inclusions.

Halite crystals were selected from a 186 m subsurface core taken from the Badwater salt pan, Death Valley, California to ascertain if halophilic Archaea and their associated 16S rDNA can survive over several tens of thousands of years. Using a combined microscope microdrill/micropipette system, fluids from brine inclusions were aseptically extracted from primary, hopper texture, halite crystals...

antimicrobial resistance in microorganisms

Biodegradation: Involved Microorganisms and Genetically Engineered Microorganisms

Biodegradation is defined as the biologically catalyzed reduction in complexity of chemical compounds [1]. Indeed, biodegradation is the process by which organic substances are broken down into smaller compounds by living microbial organisms [2]. When biodegradation is complete, the process is called "mineralization". However, in most cases the term biodegra‐ dation is generally used to describ...