Stream biofilms are key component of stream food webs and contain bacteria that contribute to the carbon and nitrogen cycles. A slow-growing bacterium isolated from a freshwater stream biofilm has potential bioenergy and bioremediation applications. JOSHI_001 is part of a class of bacteria that deposit iron and manganese precipitates externally to the colony early in… [Read More]

Burning sulfur-containing fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, contributes significantly to global environmental problems, such as air pollution and acid rain, besides contributing to the loss of the ozone layer. One method of managing sulfur compounds released as byproducts from industrial processes is to scrub them out using chemical treatments and activated charcoal… [Read More]

Arctic and boreal environments, the areas most impacted by global climate changes, cover nearly a quarter of the Earth’s surface. As temperatures rise, the carbon trapped in these regions is released, which in turn affects the global carbon cycle. To better understand the changes being wrought, the project calls for sequencing several bacterial strains isolated… [Read More]

Ten percent of the Earth’s surface is subglacial and holds a quarter of the world’s soil carbon. The environment was long thought to be incapable of supporting life, but recent studies have revealed that microbes thrive in these cold, dark regions though the processes that enable them to do so remain poorly understood. Researchers are… [Read More]

Iron makes up nearly five percent of the Earth’s continental crust and studies over the past two decades have revealed that microbes drive the process by which iron is reduced. While researchers have identified bacteria that can break down iron in anaerobic soil environments, the iron cycle in the marine environment is less well understood…. [Read More]