Researchers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have discovered 26 new microorganisms in 40,000-year-old permafrost in Alaska. These microbes, found at the Cold Region Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), can survive extreme cold, prompting interest in how they can aid military operations in frigid conditions. The microbes will be used in a DARPA project called Ice Control for Cold Environments (ICE) to develop technologies like frostbite-protecting creams and coatings to prevent ice buildup on military equipment. The discovery highlights the potential for finding more new species, with over half of the bacteria in the permafrost tunnels being previously unknown.
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