Microbial life exists in and around thermal features throughout Yellow- stone—even those that are at near boiling temperatures or as acidic as battery acid. Yellowstone is an amazing place to visit for anyone interested in microbes because it is one of the few places in the world where you can see an amazing diversity of microbes without a microscope. Large microbial mats and filaments with distinct white, yellow, green, pink, orange, brown, and black colors are visible to the naked eye. Scientists are just beginning to understand why the colors are produced and how, information which could be useful for interpreting colors on the surfaces of other planets and whether these might be associated with life.
DARREN EDWARDS
DARREN EDWARDS
Famous for its vividly colored rainbow-like pool, Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the United States and one of the most photographed features in Yellowstone. In the channels around Grand Prismatic there are mats of photosynthetic cyanobacteria that are usually orange and occasionally green. Photosyn- thetic microorganisms similar to the ones at Grand Prismatic may have been largely responsible for making Earth's early atmosphere oxygen-rich. They are also some of the oldest fossilized organisms found on Earth and have been estimated to have existed greater than 3 billion years ago. Studying these fossils helps researchers understand photosynthesis, the ancient microbial world, and how life has evolved on Earth.
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