It’s a microbial world

(And was and will be to the end)

3 Domains of life

•~4-6 x 1030 cells

•~350-550 Pg of C (1 Pg = 1015 g)

•~60% of all biomass

History of Earth

http://web.mit.edu/12a34/www/home.html

Indications of eukaryotic life

Current debate

Seawater

Ice bacteria

Ice images: Priscu research group, MSU

Soil bacteria

Hydrothermal vents

http://www.cascadia.ctc.edu/facultyweb/instructors/jvanleer/

Subsurface biosphere

Space?

http://www.astronomie.de/vds/astronomietag-2003/alh84001.jpg

Allen Hills Meteorite

http://www-curator.jsc.nasa.gov/antmet/marsmets/alh84001/images/ALH84001,0-saw.jpg

What life is made of

http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/cells/procaryotes/images/procaryote.jpg

CHNOPSUsed to make:

•Lipids

•Proteins

•RNA

•DNA