All hot springs articles
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FeaturesUnder the microscope: extremophiles of the Earth
Extremophiles are microbial organisms that live in extreme environments normally considered uninhabitable. Over the past few decades, extremophiles have been discovered in increasingly bizarre and unexpected environments around the globe, including within acid lakes, plastic recycling centres and even in radioactive sites such as Chernobyl.
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NewsSelf‑replicating circular RNA persists in extreme environments: Insights from hot spring microbiomes
Researchers who previously identified a highly unusual RNA virus in a high-temperature hot spring ecosystem searched for distinct types of self-replicating RNAs in a similar extreme environment, and a novel circular RNA replicon was identified within the microbial community inhabiting the hot spring.
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NewsYogurt and hot spring bathing show a promising combination for gut health
Researchers have demonstrated that yogurt intake increases the diversity of gut microbiota and alters its composition. Furthermore, bathing in chloride hot springs after yogurt intake was found to improve defecation status more than yogurt alone.
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NewsDancing against the current: Microbial survival strategy
In scalding hot water rushing through narrow channels, some bacteria have evolved a surprising survival technique: they cling to surfaces, stand upright, and sway rhythmically—like tiny street dancers fighting the flow.
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NewsLife in boiling water similar in far-flung locations
Scientists studied hot springs on different continents and found similarities in how some microbes adapted despite their geographic diversity, yeilding clues to the evolution of life.
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NewsTectonics matter when it comes to microbial life in hot springs
Microbial community composition is distinctly different in two tectonic settings, scientists report.