Microbial Life Found In Trinidadian Hydrocarbon Lake 141
KentuckyFC writes "Pitch Lake is a poisonous, foul-smelling hell hole on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. It is filled with hot asphalt and bubbling with noxious hydrocarbon gases and carbon dioxide. Various scientists have suggested that it is the closest thing on Earth to the kind of hydrocarbon lakes they can see on Saturn's moon Titan. Now a group of researchers has discovered that the lake is teeming with microbial life which is thriving in the oxygen-free environment with very little water, eating hydrocarbons and respiring with metals. Gene sequence analysis indicates that these bugs are single-celled organisms such as archea and bacteria. The researchers say the discovery has exciting implications for the possibility of life on Titan. There is a growing sense that Titan has all the ingredients for life: thermodynamic disequilibrium, abundant carbon-containing molecules, and a fluid environment. There is also evidence that liquid water may not be as important for life as everybody has assumed, since some microorganisms can make their own water by chewing on various hydrocarbons. That may make Titan an even better place to look for life than previously thought."
holy crap (Score:5, Funny)
This explains a lot actually.. (Score:2, Funny)
My mother-in-law is from Trinidad, this explains everything. I always thought there was something a little odd about the way she spent so much time filling up the petrol in the car. I thought that odd sulphurous smell was the cream she used for a skin condition.
And all along, she was just a hydrocarbon sucking pitch lake alien!
Re:Has populations between 10^6 to 10^7 cells/gram (Score:5, Funny)
i wonder how their average cell mass compares to some of the more usual critters we know and love.
Well, they're most probably smaller than panda bears.
Re:holy crap (Score:1, Funny)
Hey now, lets try and stay within the realm of logic here...
Re:Theological implications (Score:3, Funny)
Re:The lake *is* alive and it's not happy. (Score:4, Funny)
So it seems to be a living entity, demonstrably fussy, finding it a hard time getting a decent meal and likely depressed.
Hmmm... In that case, I wonder what its /. UID is?
Re:Theological implications (Score:2, Funny)
Wait wait wait. Just wait a second. Are you saying that Hell is in Trinidad and Tobago? I know of worse places that that.
You must work at the same place I do? Is that you Bob?
Re:Theological implications (Score:3, Funny)