We report here the draft genome sequence of a Bacillus bacterium isolated from the microflora of Nostoc colonies grown at the Andean wetlands in northern Chile. We consider this genome sequence to be a molecular tool for exploring microbial relationships and adaptation strategies to the prevailing extreme conditions at the Atacama Desert.

Using visualizations based on orbital data and imagery, the EventScope Remote Science Operations Tool allows scientists to explore a remote location and control a rover in that location. Scientists create a rover plan by sticking virtual pins in the visualization. This paradigm for exploration is being developed in conjunction with the Life in the Atacama Project at Carnegie Mellon University. CR

Here, we report the 5.09-Mb draft genome sequence of Hymenobacter sp. strain AT01-02, which was isolated from a surface soil sample in the Atacama Desert, Chile. The isolate is extremely resistant to UV-C radiation and is able to accumulate high intracellular levels of Mn/Fe.

BACKGROUND Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease endemic today in many areas of South America. METHODOLOGY We discovered morphologic and molecular evidence of ancient infections in 4 female skulls in the archaeological cemetery of Coyo Oriente, in the desert of San Pedro de Atacama, Northern Chile. The boney facial lesions visible in the skulls could have been caused by a number of chronic i...

A small, new species of gerbil rodents of the genus Eligmodontia from the southwestern dunes of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile is described; the genus had not been reported for this western lowland region. Our description is based on cytogenetic and molecular data, as well as cranial and external morphology. In order to support this hypothesis, we studied 27 specimens captured in Playa Lo...

South-Central Andes: Humid or Dry? Betancourt et al. (1) recently challenged the prevailing view that the central Andes were a generally arid zone during the midHolocene (2–7). This debate has wide implications regarding monsoonal and westerly paleocirculation in this area. The archives used by Betancourt et al. (1) are organic and inorganic alluvial deposits that formed in steep valleys along ...

The Atacama Large Millimeter Array, or ALMA, is an international telescope project which will be built over the coming decade in Northern Chile. With over 7000 m of collecting area comprised of 64 12m antennas arrayed over baselines up to 14 km in extent, ALMA will provide images of unprecedented clarity and detail. One revolutionary feature of ALMA will be its ability to combine interferometri...