Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 11/18/2013 - 14:47

Hi my name is Chiemeka and I am from Pope John Paull II High School in Boca Raton, Florida. I am currently taking a Marine Science course and I wanted to know why it was assumed that single-celled organisms.especially bacteria, couldn't live in the dry soils of the Antarctic? Isn't one impressive ability of bacteria and organisms similar is living in places that seem hard to harbor life?

Justin Kendhammer

Chiemeka,These soils were deemed "sterile" by early explorers that lacked the ability to culture them in the lab. An honest mistake owed to technological limitation and limited knowledge related specifically to micro.Good question.Justin