SCIENCE ASEA: Researchers Luiz Rosa and Gracile Menezes filter Antarctic seawater in a laminar flux cabin in the Polar Microbiology Laboratory aboard the oceanographic research vessel Almirante Maximiano.LUIZ ROSA, UFMG
For the last 11 years, when austral summers arrive, microbiologist Luiz Rosa trades the sunny hills of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, for the cold plains of Antarctica. With its monotonous landscape, Antarctica might seem devoid of life, but despite the low temperatures, dry air, and extreme solar radiation, many microscopic organisms have learned to call this place home. For three months, Rosa, whose home lab is at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, and his team sample rocks, ice, and seawater in search of fungi. By studying them, the researchers hope not only to shed new light on their ecology and evolution, but also to find new candidates for drug discovery.
In their latest paper, published a few months ago in Extremophiles, Rosa and his collaborators ...
