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Bacterial recovery from ancient glacial ice
Brent C Christner1, Ellen Mosley-Thompson, Lonnie G Thompson
1Department of Microbiology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210-1292, USA.
Environmental Microbiology
|April 26, 2003
Summary
Ancient bacteria were recovered from 750,000-year-old ice core samples. This discovery demonstrates microbial survival in glacial ice, relevant to ice ages and interplanetary transport.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Glaciology
- Paleoclimatology
Background:
- The Guliya ice cap on the Qinghan-Tibetan plateau contains glacial ice over 750,000 years old.
- Investigating microbial life in ancient ice provides insights into survival mechanisms and potential extraterrestrial life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if viable bacteria can be recovered from extremely old glacial ice.
- To characterize the types of bacteria present in ancient ice core samples.
Main Methods:
- Drilling and sampling a 308 m ice core from the Guliya ice cap.
- Culturing and isolating bacteria from ice samples at 296 m below the surface.
- Using 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequencing to identify bacterial lineages and species.
Main Results:
- Fourteen bacterial isolates were successfully recovered from the ancient ice.
- Identified bacterial lineages include alpha- and beta-proteobacteria, actinobacteria, and low-G + C Gram-positive bacteria.
- Direct sequencing of 16S rDNA from meltwater revealed Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter species.
Conclusions:
- Bacteria can survive in ice that has been frozen for over 750,000 years.
- These findings support the possibility of microbial survival through terrestrial ice ages.
- The results have implications for understanding microbial life in extraterrestrial icy environments.