Microbiologist John Baross and his team at the University of Washington, Seattle, have recovered a cunning new microbe from the scalding fluid ejected during a submarine eruption. The bug, which Baross hopes to name Saganella, appears to be as multitalented as the famous astronomer, author, and TV star.
Typical microbes live within a relatively narrow temperature range.
For the past several years, Baross and his team have chased down new sea-floor eruptions, trying to reach the cauldrons in time to collect samples from the spewing fluids. Saganella, recovered from a site off the Pacific Northwest coast, was identified when graduate student Melanie Summit grew organisms from this sample under various temperature regimes in the lab. Genetic analyses indicate that Saganella is not a bacterium but an unusual member of an ancient microbial group called the archaea. Saganella 's existence has heartened those pursuing Sagan's goal of finding life in outer space.