- Carnobacterium pleistocenium
Taxobox
color = lightgrey
name = "Carnobacterium pleistocenium"
regnum = Bacteria
divisio =Firmicutes
classis =Bacilli
ordo =Lactobacillales
familia =Carnobacteriaceae
genus = "Carnobacterium "
species = "C. pleistocenium""Carnobacterium pleistocenium" is a type of recently discovered
bacterium from thearctic part ofAlaska . It was found inpermafrost , seemingly frozen there for 32,000 years. Melting the ice, however, brought theseextremophiles back to life. This is the first case of an organism "coming back to life" from ancient ice. These bacterial cells were discovered in a tunnel dug by theArmy Corps of Engineers in the 1960s in order to allow scientists to study the permafrost in preparation for the construction of theTrans-Alaska Pipeline System .The discovery of these bacterium is of particular interest for
NASA , for it may be possible for such life to exist in the permafrost ofMars or on the surface of Europa. It is also of interest forscientist s investigating the potential forcryogenically freezing life forms in order to reduce the transportation costs (in terms of life support systems) that would be associated with long-duration space travel.Source
*http://www.livescience.com/othernews/050223_arctic_life.html
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