Microbes in Antarctica Survive the Freezing and Dark Winter by Living on Air

Winter in Antarctica is long and dark. Temperatures remain well below freezing. In many places, the Sun sets in April and does not rise above the horizon again until August. Without sunlight, photosynthetic life such as plants, mosses, and algae cannot make energy.

But that’s not to say all life stops.

In a new study published in The ISME Journal, my colleagues and I show that Antarctic microbes make energy from the air at temperatures as low as -20°C. This finding improves our understanding of how life survives at temperature extremes in Antarctica — and how climate change will affect this important process.

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