Lichens(?) and bacteria coat the interior of a lava tube in Hawaii. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lrargerich/ / CC BY 2.0

Life on Earth is everywhere, from pores in rocks miles beneath the surface to tiny cloud particles floating high above. Here’s another example of life turning up in a spot we’d not previously suspected: cave mineral deposits. Turns out the colorful encrustations are sometimes raw bacterial sewage. Pretty sewage, though!

Cave bacteria are often actinomycetes, which were so named because they actually branch (yes, some bacteria can branch!) and make spores similar to fungi. They’re also part of the crowd responsible for that wonderful earthy/cavey smell I mentioned a few posts ago. Actinomycetes are great at making competing-bacteria repellent, aka antibiotics. You might have heard of a few: actinomycin and streptomycin.

This came out in November but I’d been saving this slide show for a fun Friday eye-candy treat. Enjoy!