Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing have created a dataset mapping the microbes and viruses living in one of the driest and harshest deserts on Earth, the Qaidam Basin. They collected over 50 soil samples from different landforms and depths and used DNA sequencing to identify what lives in this extreme environment. From these samples, they reconstructed more than 1,000 microbial genomes and over 2,000 viral genomes, most of which had never been recorded before. Because the Qaidam Basin is often used as an analog for Martian landscapes, this detailed dataset may help researchers think about what kinds of life could persist on Mars-like terrain.
Image Credits: Daniele Colucci
