Hyper-arid soil core microbiota. soil metagenome

The hyper-arid Yungay area in the Atacama Desert is considered being a terrestrial analog of Mars. While the harsh conditions at the land surface limit microbial life, we hypothesized that at greater depth, where moisture contents are higher, it is possible to sustain yet undiscovered refuges of life. To test this hypothesis, we studied a deep soil profile (0-340 cm) in the Yungay area, and provide a full mineralogical, physico-chemical, isotopic, and microbiological characterization.