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The Conversation
The Conversation
Ry Holland, Research Fellow in Microbial Ecology, Monash University

Microbes in Antarctica survive the freezing and dark winter by living on air

Antarctica Antarctic Hydrogen Sun
Holtedahl Mountains, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. Ry Holland

Winter in Antarctica is long and dark. Temperatures remain well below freezing. In many places, the Sun sets in April and does not rise above the horizon again until August. Without sunlight, photosynthetic life such as plants, mosses and algae cannot make energy.

But that’s not to say all life stops.

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