Sleep 120,000 years

Buried under ice on Greenland for 120 millennia, a species of bacteria has risen after scientists found them. This discovery raises hope for the ability to find microorganisms on ice-rich planets.

Herminiimonas glaciei bacteria under an electron microscope. Photo: Livescience.

Officially named Herminiimonas glaciei , this bacterium is about 0.9 micrometers long. 'The special thing is that they are very small and need very little nutrients to survive , ' said Jennifer Loveland-Curtze, a scientist at the University of Pennsylvania (USA).

Loveland-Curtze and colleagues found a new bacterium in the ice at a depth of 3 km on Greenland Island, in the Arctic. She said that because of the small size, Herminiimonas glaciei can survive in the ice crystals underground and take advantage of the small amount of nutrients buried with the ice.

"We do not know what state they are in before revival. Perhaps they are sleeping, but it is possible that their metabolism still occurs at a very slow speed , " said Jean Brenchley, a city. member of the research team, said.

The group of Loveland-Curtze gave Herminiimonas glaciei bacterial revival by adding them to a medium with a temperature of 2 ° C for 7 months. They then raised the temperature to 5 ° C in 4 1/2 months. Finally the bacteria turns purple.

Many planets in the universe, such as Mars, also have ice. So scientists think that microorganisms like Herminiimonas glaciei can exist on these planets. In addition, many planetary satellites also have ice, in which Jupiter's Europa satellite is an example.

'Ice is the most ideal material for maintaining nucleic acids, organic compounds and cells. The ability to find them on planets and satellites is enormous thanks to the cold environment on those bodies. If bacteria exist on other planets, we can locate them and help them revive , 'Loveland-Curtze said.