New Investigation into Soil Microbes and Climate Change

New understanding of the role of microbes in thawing permafrost

A deeper understanding of viral genomes in Swedish permafrost provides insight into climate change.

“Microbes have significant influence over global warming, primarily through the production of – or consumption of – methane, and new details about these microscopic beings’ genetics is now available, thanks to a trio of studies from a project co-led by researchers at The Ohio State University.”

“Because of global climate change, huge amounts of permafrost are rapidly warming. To microbes, they’re like freezers full of juicy chicken dinners that are thawing out. In many cases, microbes take advantage of this situation to chew up what’s in the permafrost and breathe out methane.”

“By looking at the genomes of the microbes, the team was able to figure out what capabilities they have. It will enable climate scientists to better estimate the speed of climate change, giving humans a clearer timetable for response.”

Read the full press release here.