A team led by CU Boulder has uncovered a distinctive microbial community residing on the former island Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai. In 2015, an underwater volcano in the South Pacific erupted, giving rise to the short-lived Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai island. The University of Colorado Boulder and the
Unexpectedly, the scientists found a unique microbial population that can metabolize sulfur and atmospheric gases, resembling the microorganisms detected in deep-sea hydrothermal vents or geothermal hot springs.
“These types of volcanic eruptions happen all over the world, but they don’t usually produce islands. We had an incredibly unique opportunity,” said Nick Dragone, CIRES Ph.D. student and lead author of the study recently published in. “No one had ever comprehensively studied the microorganisms on this type of island system at such an early stage before.”
And that wasn’t the only unexpected twist in this work: On January 15, 2022, seven years after it formed, the volcano erupted again, obliterating the entire landmass in the largest volcanic explosion of the 21st century. The eruption completely wiped out the island and eliminated the option for the team to continue monitoring their site.
“One of the reasons why we think we see these unique microbes is because of the properties associated with volcanic eruptions: lots of sulfur and hydrogen sulfide gas, which are likely fueling the unique taxa we found,” Dragone said. “The microbes were most similar to those found in hydrothermal vents, hot springs like Yellowstone, and other volcanic systems. Our best guess is the microbes came from those types of sources.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Alarmed Scientists Discover “Terrifying” Rocks Made of Plastic Trash on Remote IslandScientists are reeling from the discovery of 'plastic rocks' on a remote island off the coast of a volcanic Brazilian island.
Read more »
Scientists discover signs of 'modern' glacier on Mars that hints at buried water iceSuch a discovery could have significant implications for future human exploration on the Red Planet.
Read more »
Quick fix: get rid of Android’s Discover pageDiscover how to get rid of your Android Discover page.
Read more »
CU Boulder researchers discover 'human signature' frozen on Mount EverestIf you were to cough or sneeze on one of the world's tallest peaks, there's a good chance your germs will linger there — for centuries.
Read more »
Firefighters investigating gas leak at Northway Mall discover small roof collapseA fire department official said it appears the partial collapse may have occurred sometime during the last few weeks and went unnoticed until the gas odor was reported.
Read more »
Brazilian researchers discover ‘terrifying’ rocks made up of plastic debris: reportBrazil’s volcanic Trindade Island reportedly has been of significant interest to scientists for years, but newly discovered rocks made up of plastic debris concerns them.
Read more »