A wide array of microorganisms, including many novel, phylogenetically deeply rooted taxa,
survive and thrive in extreme environments. These unique and reduced-complexity …

The Earth's cryosphere comprises those regions that are cold enough for water to turn into
ice. Recent findings show that the icy realms of polar oceans, glaciers and ice sheets are …

Much of the Earth's surface, both marine and terrestrial, is either periodically or permanently
cold. Although habitats that are largely or continuously frozen are generally considered to be …

Recent findings have shaken our picture of the biology of the archaea and revealed novel
traits beyond archaeal extremophily and supposed 'primitiveness'. The archaea constitute a …

Biofilms are structured and organized communities of microorganisms that represent one of
the most successful forms of life on Earth. Bacterial biofilms have been studied in great …

Highlights•Metagenomics permitted a better knowledge of the microbial diversity of
hypersaline habitats.•Cellular life in hypersaline habitats is dominated by prokaryotes …

In hypersaline environments, Nanohaloarchaeota (Diapherotrites, Parvarchaeota,
Aenigmarchaeota, Nanoarchaeota, Nanohaloarchaeota [DPANN] superphylum) are thought …

The Earth's biosphere is dominated by cold environments, and the cold biosphere is
dominated by microorganisms. Microorganisms in cold Southern Ocean waters are …

In permafrost (perennially frozen ground) microbes survive oligotrophic conditions, sub-zero
temperatures, low water availability and high salinity over millennia. Viable life exists in …

The major difference between viruses and plasmids is the mechanism of transferring their
genomic information between host cells. Here, we describe the archaeal plasmid pR1SE …