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WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) – US scientists have discovered new types of microbes that could consume greenhouse gases such as methane and butane, which could one day be used to clean up oil spills.
The study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications revealed new microbial species with powerful pollutant consumption in extremely hot marine sediments located in the Guaymas Basin in the Gulf of California.
"This shows that deep oceans contain unexplored and expansive biodiversity, and that microscopic organisms are capable of degrading oil and other harmful chemicals," said the journal's lead researcher, Brett Baker, an associate professor of Marine Science at the University of Texas at Austin.
"Under the ocean floor, huge reservoirs of hydrocarbon gases, including methane, propane and butane, now exist and these microbes prevent greenhouse gases from being released into the atmosphere, "Baker said.
An analysis of sediments located 2,000 meters deep at about 200 degrees Celsius resulted in 551 genomes, 22 of which represented new entries into the tree of life, some even representing a new phyla.
"We think it's probably only the tip of the iceberg in terms of diversity in the Guaymas Basin," Baker said.
"We are doing a lot more DNA sequencing to try to figure out how much is left over, this document is really our first clue to what these things are and what they do," Baker said.
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