title: Buried Alive: Microbes from Ancient Halite.
abstract: Halite is one of the most extreme environments to support life. From the drought of the Atacama Desert to salt deposits up to Permian in age and 2000 meters in burial depth, live microbes have been found. Because halite is geologically stable and impermeable to ground water, the microbes allegedly have a syndepositional origin, making them the oldest organisms known to live on Earth. Recently, our understanding of the microbial diversity inside halite has broadened, and the first genome sequences of ancient halite-buried microbes are now available. The secrets behind prolonged survival in salt are also starting to be revealed.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biotechnology and Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Salla T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Jaakkola
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biotechnology and Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Janne J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Ravantti
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biotechnology and Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Hanna M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Oksanen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biotechnology and Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: dennis.bamford@helsinki.fi.
authors.forename: Dennis H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Bamford
mesh_terms: D001105:Archaea / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology*; D049690:History, Ancient; D008829:Microbiology / Q000266:history; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012965:Sodium Chloride
keywords: Halobacterium; Halococcus; ancient; archaea; halite; halophile