Crustal mineralogy drives microbe diversity beneath Earth s surface
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Researchers pictured from left to right, Lily Momper, Brittany Kruger and Caitlin Casar pose next to a borehole in an abandoned mine in South Dakota where they cultivated microbial biofilms. Photo by Matt Kapust
April 8 (UPI) Deep beneath the surface of the earth, microbes proliferate without sunlight and oxygen eating and breathing minerals, these microbes colonize the rocks that buoy the planet s continents.
For obvious reason, scientists don t know a lot about these microbes, but researchers estimate they account for anywhere between 20 and 80 percent of Earth s bacterial and archaeal biomass.
Tue March 16, 2021 - Midwest Edition #6
Giles Lambertson â CEG Correspondent
An overlook of the open cut, where rock will be deposited from the 4,850-ft. level excavation.
(Sanford Underground Research Facility photo)
International science came to the Black Hills of western South Dakota, because that s where the deep hole is. Over the last century, the hole Ross Shaft was sunk 5,000 ft. to give access to lateral tunnels from which gold was extracted from sedimentary rock to a depth of 8,000 ft. Now the opening into the earth is being repurposed into an entranceway for a highly-sophisticated underground physics experiment.
Most of us non-scientists have to wrestle a bit to comprehend the scientific aspect of the project, which is called the
Particle detector at Fermilab plays crucial role in Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment | US Department of Energy Science News eurekalert.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eurekalert.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
DOE/Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Kevin Pitts of the University of Illinois has been named chief research officer at Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory beginning March 1. His focus will be on oversight for the international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, including advancing scientific excellence across the laboratory through strong communication, collaboration and coordination with the Department of Energy and other partners. He joins the laboratory as it prepares to usher in a new era of science and innovation in particle physics research and discovery. We are proud to have Kevin Pitts join Fermilab at a time when DUNE is underway, said Joe Lykken, deputy director for research at Fermilab. His leadership and research collaboration with Fermilab make him the ideal person to direct the development of the DUNE research program both at the laboratory and with our partner institutions.