PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Microbes in the seafloor: Little nutrients, lots of oxygen

2015-03-16
(Press-News.org) About one quarter of the global seafloor is extremely nutrient poor. Contrary to previous assumptions, it contains oxygen not just in the thin surface layer, but also throughout its entire thickness. The underlying basement rocks contain oxygen as well. An international research team made these new discoveries through analysis of drill cores from the South Pacific Gyre. In the latest issue of Nature Geoscience the scientists also point out the potential effects on the composition of Earth's interior because oxygen-containing deep-sea sediment has a different mineral composition than an oxygen-free one. Previously it was assumed that, except for a thin surface layer, the seafloor is oxygen free, because microbes consume all available oxygen. The sediment that is constantly transported from the continents into the oceans and subsequently settles on the seafloor is rich in nutrients and acts a food source for the microbial community, which in turn consumes the oxygen. Below the thin oxygen-containing layer only those microbes can survive that are adapted to oxygen-free conditions. During an expedition with the scientific drill ship "JOIDES Resolution", an international research team that included a participant from the GFZ German Centre for Geosciences was able to collect cores from the South Pacific Gyre, an area between Australia, South America and Antarctica. No other area on Earth is further away from the continents and their nutrient input, leading to strong nutrient depletion to which the microbes in the seafloor have to adjust. As a result of these extreme conditions, the number of microbes is greatly reduced: "The microbial population density is ten to one hundred million times lower than in other places in the world's oceans," explains GFZ researcher Jens Kallmeyer, one of the authors of the study. "Those few microbes that survive find so few nutrients that they are not able to consume all the oxygen, therefore the seafloor contains oxygen not just in the uppermost layer but throughout its entire thickness. It also harbours only microbes that need oxygen to survive." Not just the sediment contains oxygen, it was also found in the basalt below. One of the questions arising from this discovery was whether such conditions can only be found in the South Pacific Gyre or somewhere else as well. By using a combination of drill core analyses and satellite data it was shown that about one quarter of the world's oceans have nutrient concentrations that are as low as in the South Pacific Gyre. This lead the scientists to conclude that oxygen penetrates the entire depth of the seafloor in those regions as well. The consequences of these results reach as far as to plate tectonics. Jens Kallmeyer: "If a geologic slab with such oxygen-containing material descends into Earth and melts, oxygen will be transported into Earth's interior." The effects of this process on geochemical processes in Earth's mantle will be the subject of future research.

INFORMATION:

Steven D'Hondt et al., „Presence of Oxygen an Aerobic Communities from Seafloor to Basement in Deep-Sea Sediments", Nature Geoscience, 16.03.2015, DOI: 10.1038/NGEO2387

Pictures in a printable resolution may be found here (Photos: J.Kallmeyer, GFZ)

Scientific Drill Ship "JOIDES Resolution"

Drill Rig of "JOIDES Resolution"

Drill Core Sample Party



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Scientists move closer to '2 for 1 deal' on solar cell efficiency

2015-03-16
The underlying mechanism behind an enigmatic process called "singlet exciton fission", which could enable the development of significantly more powerful solar cells, has been identified by scientists in a new study. The process is only known to happen in certain materials, and occurs when they absorb light. As the light particles come into contact with electrons within the material, the electrons are excited by the light, and the resulting "excited state" splits into two. If singlet exciton fission can be controlled and incorporated into solar cells, it has the potential ...

These 15 animal species have the lowest chance for survival: Researchers urge to act

These 15 animal species have the lowest chance for survival: Researchers urge to act
2015-03-16
Climbing rats, seabirds and tropical gophers are among the 15 animal species that are at the absolute greatest risk of becoming extinct very soon. Expertise and money is needed to save them and other highly threatened species. A new study shows that a subset of highly threatened species - in this case 841 - can be saved from extinction for about $1.3 billion a year. However, for 15 of them the chances of conservation success are really low. The study published in Current Biology concludes that a subset of 841 endangered animal species can be saved, but only if conservation ...

Study finds imaging tool to diagnose heart conditions is more accurate & safer

2015-03-16
New heart imaging technology to diagnose coronary heart disease and other heart disorders is significantly more accurate, less expensive and safer than traditional methods, according to a new study by researchers from the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City. Researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute compared Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), currently the most commonly used imaging diagnostic tool, with a new imaging technology -- coronary-specific Positron Emission Tomography (cardiac PET/CT). They ...

Can watching porn make you better in bed?

2015-03-16
Montreal, March 16, 2015 -- Does a predilection for porn mean bad news in bed? That's the conclusion of many clinicians and the upshot of anecdotal reports claiming a man's habit of viewing sex films can lead to problems getting or sustaining an erection. But a new study from UCLA and Concordia University -- the first to actually test the relationship between how much erotica men are watching and erectile function -- shows that viewing sexual films is unlikely to cause erectile problems and may even help sexual arousal. The study, published in the online journal Sexual ...

Researchers increase energy density of lithium storage materials

Researchers increase energy density of lithium storage materials
2015-03-16
This news release is available in German. The lithium ion battery currently is the most widespread battery technology. It is indispensable for devices, such as laptops, mobile phones or cameras. Current research activities are aimed at reaching higher lithium storage densities in order to increase the amount of energy stored in a battery. Moreover, lithium storage should be quick for energy supply of devices with high power requirements. This requires the detailed understanding of the electrochemical processes and new development of battery components. The materials ...

Heart bypass surgery outperforms new generation stents

2015-03-16
SAN DIEGO (March 16, 2015) -- Despite the advent of a new generation of stents, patients with multiple narrowed arteries in the heart who received coronary artery bypass grafting fared better than those whose arteries were opened with balloon angioplasty and stents in a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 64th Annual Scientific Session. The findings echo past studies, which have shown patients with multiple narrowed arteries have better outcomes with coronary artery bypass grafting, also known as CABG or heart bypass surgery, than with angioplasty, ...

Losing weight substantially reduces atrial fibrillation

2015-03-16
SAN DIEGO (March 16, 2015) -- Obese patients with atrial fibrillation who lost at least 10 percent of their body weight were six times more likely to achieve long-term freedom from this common heart rhythm disorder compared to those who did not lose weight, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 64th Annual Scientific Session. The study is the first to track the long-term effects of weight loss and the degree of weight fluctuation on atrial fibrillation burden. Patients who lost more weight and maintained a more stable weight over four ...

Die-hard college sports fans defy expectations

2015-03-16
DURHAM, N.C. -- When March Madness kicks off this week, you might expect the bleachers to be filled with alumni and students from the competing colleges. In fact, only about a third of die-hard college sports fans are alumni of their teams' universities, and another third never attended college at all, according to a new Duke University study. The new research by Charles Clotfelter, a professor of public policy, economics and law at Duke's Sanford School of Public Policy, draws upon an unusual source for its conclusions: obituaries. Clotfelter's article, "Die-Hard ...

Survival gardening goes global via cellphone animations

Survival gardening goes global via cellphone animations
2015-03-16
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Subsistence farmers in Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean are learning how to construct raised planting beds and install drip irrigation systems to boost their agricultural productivity, conserve water and perhaps even halt the rapid advance of desertification in some drought-prone regions. This educational effort, led in large part by nonprofit groups and private donors, is getting a boost from Scientific Animations Without Borders, an initiative that produces animated educational videos that can be played and shared on cellphones and other digital ...

Thinking of your life as a novel

2015-03-16
Commitment to well being of others difficult to sustain over long run Personal redemption narrative sustains motivation to engage in prosocial behavior African-Americans more likely to be motivated by stories of personal redemption Redemptive stories sustain hope that sacrifices today may produce future dividends EVANSTON, Ill. --- Middle-aged Americans who show high levels of societal involvement and positive mental health are especially likely to construe their lives as stories of personal redemption, according to new Northwestern University research. Previous ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Older teens who start vaping post-high school risk rapid progress to frequent use

Corpse flowers are threatened by spotty recordkeeping

Riding the AI wave toward rapid, precise ocean simulations

Are lifetimes of big appliances really shrinking?

Pink skies

Monkeys are world’s best yodellers - new research

Key differences between visual- and memory-led Alzheimer’s discovered

% weight loss targets in obesity management – is this the wrong objective?

An app can change how you see yourself at work

NYC speed cameras take six months to change driver behavior, effects vary by neighborhood, new study reveals

New research shows that propaganda is on the rise in China

Even the richest Americans face shorter lifespans than their European counterparts, study finds

Novel genes linked to rare childhood diarrhea

New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea

Novel point-of-care technology delivers accurate HIV results in minutes

Researchers reveal key brain differences to explain why Ritalin helps improve focus in some more than others

Study finds nearly five-fold increase in hospitalizations for common cause of stroke

Study reveals how alcohol abuse damages cognition

Medicinal cannabis is linked to long-term benefits in health-related quality of life

Microplastics detected in cat placentas and fetuses during early pregnancy

Ancient amphibians as big as alligators died in mass mortality event in Triassic Wyoming

Scientists uncover the first clear evidence of air sacs in the fossilized bones of alvarezsaurian dinosaurs: the "hollow bones" which help modern day birds to fly

Alcohol makes male flies sexy

TB patients globally often incur "catastrophic costs" of up to $11,329 USD, despite many countries offering free treatment, with predominant drivers of cost being hospitalization and loss of income

Study links teen girls’ screen time to sleep disruptions and depression

Scientists unveil starfish-inspired wearable tech for heart monitoring

Footprints reveal prehistoric Scottish lagoons were stomping grounds for giant Jurassic dinosaurs

AI effectively predicts dementia risk in American Indian/Alaska Native elders

First guideline on newborn screening for cystic fibrosis calls for changes in practice to improve outcomes

Existing international law can help secure peace and security in outer space, study shows

[Press-News.org] Microbes in the seafloor: Little nutrients, lots of oxygen