As Andean glacier retreats, tiny life forms swiftly move in, study shows

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A University of Colorado at Boulder study of microbes beneath the retreating Puca Glacier at 16400 feet in the Peruvian Andes is the first to show how life becomes established and flourishes in one of the most extreme environments on Earth. Shown is  ...
A University of Colorado at Boulder study of microbes beneath the retreating Puca Glacier at 16,400 feet in the Peruvian Andes is the first to show how life becomes established and flourishes in one of the most extreme environments on Earth. Shown is CU-Boulder postdoctoral researcher Elizabeth Costello, a study co-author. Photo courtesy Steve Schmidt/University of Colorado

A University of Colorado at Boulder team working at 16,400 feet in the Peruvian Andes has discovered how barren soils uncovered by retreating glacier ice can swiftly establish a thriving community of microbes, setting the table for lichens, mosses and alpine plants.


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All News summaries for September 08, 2008

New penguin species found in New Zealand

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(PhysOrg.com) -- Australian and New Zealand researchers have used ancient DNA from penguin fossils to make a startling discovery that may change the way we view species extinctions.

Falling home ownership, equity, affect college enrollment

Nov 18, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
Sagging college enrollments may be the next symptom of the sub-prime mortgage mess, according to a University of Michigan economist.

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Nov 18, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- Wheat breeders and plant pathologists at Montana State University are part of a global effort to develop varieties of wheat resistant to a new fungus. UG99, a stem rust strain that was first discovered in ...

Scientist Unlocking the Secrets of Sea Slug that Lives Like a Plant

Nov 18, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- Photosynthesis generates the oxygen needed for life on earth as well as the biomass for food and biofuel production. The process is driven by the absorption of the sun’s energy by tiny green "bodies" called ...

Archeologists say they found witch doctor skeleton

Nov 18, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
(AP) -- Archeologists believe a 12,000-year-old skeleton found in a grave containing 50 tortoise shells, a leopard pelvis, a cow tail and part of an eagle wing is the remains of a witch doctor.