Hidden Microbes in Subsurface Ice
Chemolithoautotrophic life in subsurface ice survives on energy produced by radiolysis, where rock radioactivity splits water to yield H2 and oxidants that microbes couple to CO2 or reduced sulfur compounds. This slow, steady fuel sustains isolated ecosystems for millennia in brine pockets and subglacial lakes, and it reshapes the search for life on icy worlds by showing that sunlight is not a prerequisite for habitability.
Quantum Coherence in Photosynthesis
Quantum coherence in photosynthetic complexes is not universal but observed transiently in select pigment–protein assemblies. In the Fenna–Matthews–Olson (FMO) complex and related systems, excitons migrate via quantum superpositions that survive tens to hundreds of femtoseconds despite thermal noise, aided by vibronic coupling and a structured protein scaffold. This short-lived coherence can outperform purely classical hopping, yet it depends on architecture, temperature, and spectral properties.
