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Ages of Ice
Antarctica's Air-Eating Microbes
In East Antarctica's frozen interior, Dr. Ry Holland hunts for aerotrophs: microbes that live on thin air by consuming trace gases like hydrogen, methane and carbon monoxide. Suited up like astronauts to avoid contamination, the team collects DNA from the air and tests soil for gas uptake. These microbes may anchor the food chain here and hint at how life might exist on icy moons like Europa.