TED Talks Daily The mysterious microbes living deep inside the earth -- and how they could help humanity | Karen Lloyd
Jun 10, 2019
Karen Lloyd, a marine microbiologist, dives into the hidden microbial world beneath our feet. She reveals that these ancient microbes, some hundreds of thousands of years old, could revolutionize our understanding of ecosystems. Lloyd takes listeners on a journey to Costa Rica, exploring how subsurface organisms interact with geological processes. These unique microbes not only hold secrets to carbon storage and climate change but also offer potential breakthroughs in biotechnology and sustainability, showcasing their significant impact on our future.
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Subsurface Biome
- The Earth's crust contains a vast, hidden biome of microbes.
- This biome is significantly larger than the gut microbiomes of all living beings combined.
Slow Growth
- Subsurface microbes exist in a slow-motion state due to limited resources.
- Their slow growth may be an evolutionary strategy, not dormancy.
Evolutionary Payoff of Slow Growth
- E. coli in starvation conditions demonstrate that slow growth can be advantageous.
- This suggests that slow-growing microbes might play crucial, yet unseen, roles.