Noxolo Mkhize
Desulforudis audaxviator is a bacteria that defies the odds by thriving on just water, hydrogen, and minerals deep beneath the Earth's surface, where light never reaches and oxygen is nonexistent. Find out how this lone survivor manages to thrive in such remoteness!
In this image, the rod-like cells of Candidatus Desulforudis audaxviator, which are purplish-blue, are positioned next to orange carbon spheres. This bacterium flourishes in harsh environments, obtaining hydrogen from water radiolysis and sulfate from pyrite oxidation. It was initially discovered 2.8 kilometers below Earth's surface in the Mponeng Gold Mine close to Johannesburg, South Africa.
This scanning electron microscope image shows a rod-shaped cell of Candidatus Desulforudis audaxviator embedded within a dense network of mineral filaments. Discovered deep within the Earth's crust, this extremophile thrives in isolated, nutrient-poor environments by utilizing hydrogen from water radiolysis and sulfate from pyrite oxidation.
Berkeley Lab scientists have analyzed the remarkable genome of a bacterium constituting the first single-species ecosystem. Desulforudis audaxviator was discovered 2.8 kilometers beneath the surface of the earth in a South African gold mine, where it exists in complete isolation, total darkness, a lack of oxygen, and 60-degree-Celsius heat.
Here is a short , interesting video which delves into the extraordinary world of Desulforudis audaxviator - a true marvel of evolution!
