New paper sheds light on worms inhabiting methane ice

Though it looks like something out of science fiction, the methane worm is real but elusive. Credit: NOAA

A recent study co-authored by Jean Lim, University of Miami CIMAS scientist working with Kelly Goodwin and Luke Thompson at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory, has been selected out of a wide array of publications as a spotlight paper in the latest issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology. The focus of this special feature is an enigmatic bristle worm that can be found in the depths of the Gulf of Mexico inhabiting “methane ice”. Methane ice, or methane hydrates, represent vast reserves of natural gas which can play an important role in global carbon cycling and climate change. Although methane ice worms were first discovered in 1997, this deep sea creature has remained elusive. This paper is the first to describe the microbial diversity of this deep sea species (Sirsoe methanicola) using metagenomic analysis.

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