Halophilic archaea inhabit hypersaline ecosystems globally, and genetically similar strains
have been found in locales that are geographically isolated from one another. We sought to …

Extreme halophiles are novel microorganisms that require 5–10 times the salinity of
seawater (ca. 3–5M NaCl) for optimal growth (1, 2). They include diverse prokaryotic …

Extreme environments, including hypersaline pools, often serve as biogeographical islands.
Putative colonizers would need to survive transport across potentially vast distances of …

Hydrothermal vents, known as 'fumaroles', are ubiquitous features of geothermal areas.
Although their geology has been extensively characterized, little is known about the …

Flamingoes (Phoenicopterus spp.) whose plumage displays elegant colors, inhabit warm
regions close to the ocean throughout the world. The pink or reddish color of their plumage …

Archaea, the third domain of life, were long thought to be limited to environmental extremes.
However, the discovery of archaeal 16S rRNA gene sequences in water, sediment and soil …

Summary The Salar Grande in the Coastal Range of Northern Chile is a fossil evaporitic
basin filled with almost pure halite (95% NaCl average). It is assumed that the basin has not …

As a group, the halophilic archaea (class Halobacteria) are the most salt-requiring and salt-
resistant microorganisms within the domain Archaea. Halophilic archaea flourish in …

The archaeal community in a sulfide-and sulfur-rich spring with a stream water salinity of 0.7
to 1.0% in southwestern Oklahoma was studied by cloning and sequencing of 16S rRNA …

Salting is one of the oldest means of food preservation: adding salt decreases water activity
and inhibits microbial development. However, salt is also a source of living bacteria and …