Oven no bar: extremophile bacteria have learnt to survive microwaves

Sub: Sci

Sec: Health

Survival and Adaptation of Microorganisms:

Microorganisms are extremely adept at surviving in a wide range of environments, including extreme conditions that are inhospitable to more complex life forms.
These organisms, known as extremophiles, have been isolated from environments such as volcanic vents, permafrost, acid mines, deep-sea hydrothermal vents, and even the exteriors of spacecraft.
Extremophiles suggest that life on Earth may have begun in harsh environments and gradually adapted to more hospitable conditions.

Biological Mechanisms of Extremophiles:

Extremophiles adapt to extreme environments through unique biological and biochemical processes.
Unlike complex organisms that rely on a single set of proteins, extremophiles possess multiple sets of proteins, each specialized for different environmental conditions.
They can activate different protein sets as needed to survive various extreme conditions, such as high temperatures or acidic environments.

Importance of Studying Microbial Diversity:

Understanding microbial diversity is crucial, and initiatives like the Earth Microbiome Project and the Earth Biogenome Project aim to map and sequence the genomes of diverse microorganisms and eukaryotic organisms.
The study of extremophiles offers significant biological and industrial applications, such as the discovery of heat-resistant enzymes like Taq DNA polymerase, which is widely used in molecular biology.

Microbial Ecosystems in Everyday Devices:

Researchers have discovered distinct microbial communities in everyday devices like coffee machines, dishwashers, and even microwave ovens.
These devices host their own microscopic ecosystems, influenced by the specific selective pressures of their environments.
Recent studies have explored the bacterial communities in microwave ovens, revealing strains commonly found on human skin and a few associated with food-borne illnesses.
Despite the presence of these bacteria, the risk of disease from microwave ovens is not significantly higher than from other kitchen surfaces.

Potential Applications and Advancements:

Advancements in genome sequencing and DNA synthesis have opened up new possibilities for utilizing biological processes to address human problems.
Knowledge gained from extremophiles could lead to engineering organisms with new abilities, such as improving disease resistance in poultry or developing synthetic biological systems.
Studies on microbes thriving in extreme conditions, like high gravity or space, provide insights into the potential for life on other planets and the resilience of life in extreme environments.

Earth Microbiome Project (EMP):

The Earth Microbiome Project (EMP) was an initiative founded by Janet Jansson, Jack Gilbert and Rob Knight in 2010 to collect natural samples and analyze microbial life around the globe.

Earth BioGenome Project (EBP):

The Earth BioGenome Project (EBP), a biology moonshot, aims to sequence, catalogue, and characterize the genomes of all eukaryotic biodiversity on Earth over a ten-year period.
- The project was officially launched in 2018 and is expected to take approximately ten years to complete.
- Objectives: Creating a digital library of all known eukaryotic life’s DNA sequences can aid in the development of effective tools for preventing biodiversity loss and pathogen spread, monitoring and protecting ecosystems, and improving ecosystem services.

Source: TH