16.03.2015: The GFZ scientist Dr. Amedea Perfumo, section "Geomicrobiology", is awarded with the Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship, for her research project "Life at its Limits: Biodiversity and Activity of Microorganisms in deep Permafrost - BioFrost".

The project will investigate microbial life in the frozen depth of the Earth that exists despite of extreme conditions with temperatures far below zero and with no oxygen available. "This project is of interest for geomicrobiologists and geoscientists who want to expand their knowledge on microbial biodiversity and its function in the deep biosphere of the coldest regions of the Earth. It is also of interest for planetary scientists and astrobiologists in search of signs for extraterrestrial life. Above all else, I hope this Marie Skłodowska-Curie project will meet anyone curious about life at its extremes", says Perfumo. With this project Dr. Perfumo will add to the knowledge on the deep biosphere and its impact on the Earth's surface, which is also of significance for the potentials of the usability of the subterranean space.

With its a highly sensitive experimental approach, based on the use of stable isotope probing combined with Next Generation Sequencing and identification of isotopes (nanoSIMS), this research project aims at tracing active microorganisms in deep permafrost and at revealing their distribution, abundances, and taxonomic identities. It will investigate the biologically-induced chemical processes that modify the surrounding environment and make it 'inhabitable'. This study also addresses one of the most significant new concepts of modern microbiology, the heterogenity of single microbial cells, and will assess the role of it in the context of the overall functioning of ecosystems.