Yellowstone Springs Reveal 10 Microbes Key to Earth's Oxygen Shift

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Scientists are discovering how Earth's earliest life forms learned to survive with oxygen by studying the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park.

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Conch Spring and Octopus Spring are chosen for the study because their waters reach 190°F (88°C), where life thrives.

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Their work shows how studying tiny life forms in extreme places like Yellowstone's hot springs can teach us about Earth's history and how life adapted to major changes.

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Mensur Dlakic emphasises the importance of learning the basics to have a better understanding of complex life forms.

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This finding helps explain a major change in Earth's history that happened about 2.4 billion years ago, called the Great Oxidation Event when air changed dramatically.

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The research shows how microbes in each spring developed different ways to survive and also contributed to finding of ‘Streamers’ which showed varied characteristics in the two streams.

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In Conch Spring, the microbes use special genes that help them live with very little oxygen. Meanwhile, the microbes in Octopus Spring use different genes that help them handle more oxygen.

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