Herminiimonas glaciei sp. nov., a novel ultramicrobacterium from 3042 m deep Greenland glacial ice
A Gram-negative ultramicrobacterium (designated strain UMB49T) was isolated from a 120 000-year-old, 3042 m deep Greenland glacier ice core
is small even by bacterial standards
The team showed great patience in coaxing the dormant Herminiimonas glaciei microbe back to life; first incubating their samples at 2˚C for seven months and then at 5˚C for a further four and a half months, after which colonies of very small purple-brown bacteria were seen.
Studying microorganisms living under extreme conditions on Earth may provide insight into what sorts of life forms could survive elsewhere in the solar system.
H glaciei isn't a pathogen and is not harmful to humans
but it can pass through a 0.2 micron filter, which is the filter pore size commonly used in sterilization of fluids in laboratories and hospitals
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