DeepHotMicrobe - genomic clues on microbial adaptation to life in deep bedrock

The Fennoscandian Shield in Finland dates back to the Archaean and Proterozoic eons, and hosts ancient fluids (> 50 million year old) and thriving microbial life, but little is known about the limits of life in this harsh environment. This project explores the adaptability and metabolic potential of the deep biosphere by defining the features that allow microbes to survive in these extreme habitats and estimates the possibility of the emergence, development and sustainability of life in nutrient-limited and anaerobic deep subsurface planetary settings. We utilized metagenomics and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to characterize the microbial communities from deep, anoxic, saline groundwater originating from ~1.93–1.92 Ga old Fennoscandian granitic basement from Pyhäsalmi mine.