“Space, the Final Frontier” is a phrase that originated with the Star Trek television series in which Captain Kirk describes how the mission of the USS Enterprise is to “Explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before”. While Star Trek looked to seek out new life on other planets, there was still an undiscovered world of microbes hidden on Earth.
While stargazers still stare at the stars and wonder what undiscovered life may lie in the far reaches of space, there is still so much life on this planet that remains a mystery. Earth’s microbial realm should be the next frontier that scientists set their sights on as only a small fraction of its inhabitants are known. The unknown, termed “microbial dark matter“, has remained largely elusive to researchers and unlocking the secrets those microbes hold within them may provide us with advances in medicine, energy, and other areas that are important to our continued survival.
Microbial Dark Matter Explained
More than 99% of the microbial species on Earth fall into a category known as “microbial dark matter“. Microbial dark matter, or MDM, are microbes, such as archaea and bacteria, that scientists know are present in the environment, yet have been unable to successfully isolate in laboratory settings.
Unlocking Mysteries Of MDM = Future Discoveries
Despite being difficult to isolate, these elusive microbes may hold the keys to future discoveries that could lead to meaningful contributions for our world. For example, many of the antibiotics and other biochemical tools used today have come from the microbes we have been able to study. Imagine what discoveries could be made if we were able to study the characteristics of the other 99%.
Unlocking the mysteries of these dark matter microbes could allow the discovery of:
- Bio-remediation Applications: With pollution from human activities on the rise, new sources of microbes that can help clean up oil spills, filter wastewater, and remove nuclear waste could be added to the current list of microbes used for bio-remediation.
- Biomedical Breakthroughs: Microbes found in extreme environments, such as thermal hot springs or the ocean depths, may possess novel compounds which could be used for cancer treatments, new antibiotics to combat current antibiotic resistant bacteria, and other medical applications.
- Future Energy Sources: Microbes, such as yeast, are currently used to breakdown organic matter into usable bio-fuels. Research into the metabolism pathways of dark matter microbes could yield ones capable of increased conversion of organic matter into bio-fuel which will lessen our need for fossil fuels.
Exploration Methods
Advances in cultivation techniques, such as in-situ cultivation, enriched media, and increase incubation times have allowed researchers to isolate some of the elusive dark matter microbes from extreme environments. Other breakthroughs, such as the use of meta-genomics, which is the study of sequenced genetic material recovered directly from the environment, combined with AI data mining have allowed researchers to analyze DNA from microbes without needing to isolate the organisms first.
The Invisible Frontier
While space may be the final frontier, the microbial world is the invisible frontier. Microbial dark matter and the secrets it holds are challenges for us to overcome. Even in today’s technological age, so much of the microbial world continues to remain a mystery and we are reminded that we have only scratched the surface of what we know of the world. As scientists continue to find novel ways to unlock the secrets of microbial dark matter, whether through new cultivation techniques or through the use of AI, the knowledge gained may allow us to discover new solutions to issues we face in our lives.