For the first time, Spanish researchers have detected an unknown interaction between microorganisms and salt. When Escherichia coli cells are introduced into a droplet of salt water and is left to dry, bacteria manipulate the sodium chloride crystallisation to create biomineralogical biosaline 3D morphologically complex formations, where they hibernate. Afterwards, simply by rehydrating the material, bacteria are revived. The discovery was made by chance with a home microscope, but it made the cover of the 'Astrobiology' journal and may help us find signs of life on other planets. .../...
Until present, we knew of similar patterns created from saline solutions and isolated proteins, but this is the first report that demonstrates how whole bacterial cells can manage the crystallisation of sodium chloride (NaCl) and generate self-organised biosaline structures of a fractal or dendritic appearance. AlphaGalileo
Full bibliographic information.
José María Gómez Gómez, Jesús Medina, David Hochberg, Eva Mateo-Martí, Jesús Martínez-Frías, Fernando Rull "Drying Bacterial Biosaline Patterns Capable of Vital Reanimation upon Rehydration: Novel Hibernating Biomineralogical Life Formations". Astrobiology 14 (7): 589-602, 2014. Doi: 10.1089/ast.2014.1162
