Intriguing artwork by heat-loving microbes
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Intriguing artwork by heat-loving microbes

by Julia Miloczki, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Vienna, Austria

The geothermal area Sol de Mañana is part of the Altiplano–Puna volcanic complex shared between Bolivia and Chile. The area is characterized by volcanic activity and the sulphur springs host mud lakes and steam pools. The different colours stem from thermophilic, hyperthermophilic and acidophilic bacteria that colonize areas of varying temperatures.