How Bacteria Battle on Water Planets ⚡ экспресс
What if distant oceans have their own struggle for a place in the sun? On planet K2-18 b, scientists have for the first time used ecological models to figure out how microbes might live there. Like a pond covered in duckweed, photosynthetic bacteria on the surface outcompete those in the deep. Viruses sometimes play the role of gardeners—they tear down old life, giving new life a chance. What patterns will evolution weave in alien waters?
Simple equations that describe fox and rabbit cycles have been turned to bacteria on distant exoplanets, like K2-18 b. These worlds hold deep oceans under thick hydrogen skies. Like duckweed on a pond, light-eating microbes cover the sunlit water surface, stealing light from those below.
Researchers simulated an ocean column with five bacterial species. Without viruses, phototrophs monopolize resources—much like an algal bloom turning a lake green. But on planets locked in endless day (one side always facing the star), there are no day-night cycles. Populations stay stable, never surging, though smaller overall.
And here’s the twist: these bacteria might feed not only on light but also on the hydrogen enveloping the planet—a far more abundant fuel.
🎯 Some earthly bacteria thrive on hydrogen, anticipating the atmosphere of distant ocean planets.
🎬 In Stanisław Lem’s ‘Solaris’, a sentient planetary ocean defies comprehension—a literary echo of these microbial rivalries.