Cryomicrobial Ecology: Still Much To Learn about Life Left Out in the Cold

Abstract

Studies from cryoenvironments on Earth have demonstrated that microbial life is widespread and have identified microorganisms that are metabolically active and can replicate at subzero temperatures if liquid water is present. However, cryophiles (subzero-growing organisms) often exist in low densities in the environment and their growth rate is low, making them difficult to study.