Scientists have been looking for clues to first life, and it seems apparent that a strange new microbe may provide insights into the origins of life on Earth!A nitrogen-eating microorganism discovered living in hot water around deep-sea vents, could provide new insights into the origins of life on Earth.
The new species of archaea - an ancient form of life similar to bacteria - is the first microorganism found around so-called 'black smokers' to convert nitrogen into a useable form, according to a study published today in the U.S. journal Science.
The primitive organism uses the enzyme nitrogenase to take nitrogen gas dissolved in water and convert - or 'fix' it - into ammonia, which living organisms require for growth.
"This does have implications for how life began on earth: the enzyme responsible for nitrogen fixation is already believed to be very ancient, and early life is believed to have lived at high temperatures," said lead author Mausmi Mehta of the University of Washington in Seattle. "Our research suggests that early life on Earth may have had an enzyme similar to the one found in our organism."
The species, which has been given the unremarkable moniker of FS406-22, fixes nitrogen at temperatures up to 92°C. This makes the new species a 'hyperthermophile' - a heat-loving organism which thrives at extreme temperatures, from 80 to 120°C.
Link & Image: Cosmos Magazine
Tags: Archaea | Microbe | First Life
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