- On the South Col of Sagarmatha (Mount Everest), researchers conducted a genomic investigation of microbial communities.
- The essay investigates the human microbiota on Mount Everest’s harsh slopes, particularly the South Col ridge.
South Colony Microbial Communities
- Human climbers’ sediment samples on the South Col, 7,900 metres above sea level (msl), were used to collect microbial communities.
- Due to low oxygen levels, strong winds, significant amounts of UV radiation, and temperatures below – 15 degrees Celsius, the South Col is inhospitable.
- Except for a few kinds of moss and a jumping spider, visible indications of life are absent above 6,700 msl.
- Birds, animals, winds, and dust particles transport microbes to high elevations.
Microbes found
- The microbe hunters were able to identify the bacteria and other microbes identified on the South Col using sophisticated methods such as 16S and 18S rRNA sequencing.
- In bacterial ribosomes, 16s rRNA is a component of the 30S subunit, whereas in eukaryotic ribosomes, 18s rRNA is a component of the 40S subunit.
- The 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing technique is an amplicon sequencing technique used to identify and compare bacteria species present in a given sample.
- 16S rRNA gene sequencing is used to research the phylogeny and taxonomy of samples from difficult to analyse microbiomes or habitats.
- There are UV-resistant microbes such as Modestobacter altitudinis and the fungus Naganishia found there.
Mount Everest’s History and Naming In the 1960s,
- Nepal’s great historian, late Baburam Acharya, gave Mount Everest the Nepali name Sagarmatha.
- Mount Everest was found in 1847 by Andrew Waugh, British Surveyor General of India, and named after his predecessor, Sir George Everest.
- Radhanath Sikdar, an Indian mathematician and surveyor, was the first to use a specific equipment to demonstrate that Mount Everest was the world’s tallest peak in 1852.
Source: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/why-it-matters-resilient-microbes-associated-with-humans-are-being-found-on-mt-everest/article66657343.ece