According to a new study in Nature Scientific Reports by Cheriton School of Computer Science researchers and their colleagues at Western University and the University of PEI, adaptations to extreme temperatures and to extreme pH imprint a discernible environmental component into the genomic signature of microbial extremophiles.
The team evaluated a dataset of 700 microbial extremophile genomes using machine learning algorithms that looked for genomic similarities across them.
“Our study detected a strong environmental signal in the genomes of unrelated extremophiles that live in similar extreme environments,” said Cheriton School of Computer Science Professor Lila Kari. “At first, we could not believe our eyes, as it was so unexpected. This is in a way akin to finding out that your human DNA is more similar to the plant DNA of flowers in your garden, than to the human DNA of your cousin who lives on another continent.”
Read the full article from Computer Science to learn more.