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News Release 08-086
Bacteria "Feed" on Earth's Ocean-Bottom Crust
Rocks on and under seafloor offer feast for microbes
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Scientists have found that rocks beneath the seafloor are teeming with microbial life.
Credit: Nicolle Rager-Fuller/National Science Foundation
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Biologist Katrina Edwards of the University of Southern California discusses her research on seafloor bacteria on ocean-bottom rocks.
Credit: National Science Foundation / University of Southern California
Rocks made of basalt on and under the ocean bottom harbor surprising numbers of deep-sea bacteria.
Credit: NOAA/WHOI
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Bacteria form large undersea mats in some areas of the ocean's deepest realms.
Credit: Ridge2000/National Science Foundation
The diversity of microbes on rocks at and under the seafloor rivals that at deep-sea hydrothermal vents.
Credit: Nicolle Rager-Fuller, National Science Foundation