Answer to Question #156980 in Microbiology for Farhan Fathi

Question

You use phase contrast microscopy to observe a wet mount of a soil sample (the fi rst picture below) and a “goo” sample (the second image below) from the ELVIS. In what ways are the potential ET microbes similar to microbes previously characterized on Earth? In what ways are they diff erent? How could you determine whether the microbes present in the soil or goo samples are phylogenetically similar or distant from known microorganisms on Earth?

Answer 1

Observed microorganisms are alike to those found on Earth (they both contain streptococcus bacteria, staph bacillus, spirillium, and filamentous bacteria. However, the microbes from the goo and soil sample are smaller in size.