Researchers studying a sample of bacteria taken from water in a crack in a South African gold mine -- nearly 3 kilometers below the surface of the Earth -- have found that the ecosystem in the crack consists of only one organism. Writing in the journal Science, the researchers describe a study in which they sampled and sequenced the DNA of organisms found in the crack. Their analysis showed that the bacterium Candidatus Desulforudis audaxviator makes up more than 99.9 percent of the organisms inhabiting the fissure, able to survive without any other organism to feed on, break down, or interact with. In this segment, we'll talk with one of the researchers on the project about the unusual bacterium, which manages to pack all the different processes needed for life into its genome.
Produced by Charles Bergquist, Director and Contributing Producer