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The research groups led by Martina Cappelletti from the University of Bologna and speleologist Francesco Sauro from the University of Padua are among the authors of a study by an international team that conducted innovative research on silica stromatolites in the Imawarì Yeutà cave, located in the Auyán tepui in Venezuela. Using advanced portable technologies, the researchers analysed these rare rock structures in situ, opening new perspectives for the exploration of extreme environments, both on Earth and Mars.
Silica stromatolites are rock formations generally linked to the activity of photosynthetic microorganisms. The presence of these structures in a dark environment like the Venezuelan cave represents a scientific enigma. The team utilised innovative tools, including a hyperspectral camera, a 3D laser scanner, and devices to detect microbiological activity and sequence DNA directly in the cave.
The research, resulting from a 2023 expedition during which the team of Italian and Venezuelan researchers set up a fully-fledged research camp inside the cave, bringing advanced tools never before used in such a remote context, enabled the identification of bacteria that might be responsible for the formation of the stromatolites and demonstrated the feasibility of conducting real-time microbiological analyses in extreme environments. The results obtained offer significant implications for planetary exploration, where similar tools could be used to study analogous structures on Mars.
The Italian research team studied for the first time the silica stromatolitic structures of the Venezuelan tepuis directly on site, thanks to portable microbiological techniques. "We developed and field-validated microbiological procedures that allowed us to detect microbial activity and identify the bacteria involved," explains Martina Cappelletti from the University of Bologna, adding that "it is possible to carry out real-time DNA analyses even in extreme and isolated places."
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The project was supported by the Genomics degree course at the University of Bologna and the portable laboratory Bento Lab, as well as funding from the "The Geosciences for Sustainable Development" programme, which enabled scientific missions in extreme environments and the development of innovative technologies.
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Silica stromatolites are rock formations generally linked to the activity of photosynthetic microorganisms. The presence of these structures in a dark environment like the Venezuelan cave represents a scientific enigma. The team utilised innovative tools, including a hyperspectral camera, a 3D laser scanner, and devices to detect microbiological activity and sequence DNA directly in the cave.
The research, resulting from a 2023 expedition during which the team of Italian and Venezuelan researchers set up a fully-fledged research camp inside the cave, bringing advanced tools never before used in such a remote context, enabled the identification of bacteria that might be responsible for the formation of the stromatolites and demonstrated the feasibility of conducting real-time microbiological analyses in extreme environments. The results obtained offer significant implications for planetary exploration, where similar tools could be used to study analogous structures on Mars.
The Italian research team studied for the first time the silica stromatolitic structures of the Venezuelan tepuis directly on site, thanks to portable microbiological techniques. "We developed and field-validated microbiological procedures that allowed us to detect microbial activity and identify the bacteria involved," explains Martina Cappelletti from the University of Bologna, adding that "it is possible to carry out real-time DNA analyses even in extreme and isolated places."
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The project was supported by the Genomics degree course at the University of Bologna and the portable laboratory Bento Lab, as well as funding from the "The Geosciences for Sustainable Development" programme, which enabled scientific missions in extreme environments and the development of innovative technologies.
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The research groups led by Martina Cappelletti from the University of Bologna and speleologist Francesco Sauro from the University of Padua are among the authors of a study by an international team that conducted innovative research on silica stromatolites in the Imawarì Yeutà cave, located in the Auyán tepui in Venezuela. Using advanced portable technologies, the researchers analysed these rare rock structures in situ, opening new perspectives for the exploration of extreme environments, both on Earth and Mars.
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The research, resulting from a 2023 expedition during which the team of Italian and Venezuelan researchers set up a fully-fledged research camp inside the cave, bringing advanced tools never before used in such a remote context, enabled the identification of bacteria that might be responsible for the formation of the stromatolites and demonstrated the feasibility of conducting real-time microbiological analyses in extreme environments. The results obtained offer significant implications for planetary exploration, where similar tools could be used to study analogous structures on Mars.
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Silica stromatolites are rock formations generally linked to the activity of photosynthetic microorganisms. The presence of these structures in a dark environment like the Venezuelan cave represents a scientific enigma. The team utilised innovative tools, including a hyperspectral camera, a 3D laser scanner, and devices to detect microbiological activity and sequence DNA directly in the cave.
The research, resulting from a 2023 expedition during which the team of Italian and Venezuelan researchers set up a fully-fledged research camp inside the cave, bringing advanced tools never before used in such a remote context, enabled the identification of bacteria that might be responsible for the formation of the stromatolites and demonstrated the feasibility of conducting real-time microbiological analyses in extreme environments. The results obtained offer significant implications for planetary exploration, where similar tools could be used to study analogous structures on Mars.
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The project was supported by the Genomics degree course at the University of Bologna and the portable laboratory Bento Lab, as well as funding from the "The Geosciences for Sustainable Development" programme, which enabled scientific missions in extreme environments and the development of innovative technologies.
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The research groups led by Martina Cappelletti from the University of Bologna and speleologist Francesco Sauro from the University of Padua are among the authors of a study by an international team that conducted innovative research on silica stromatolites in the Imawarì Yeutà cave, located in the Auyán tepui in Venezuela. Using advanced portable technologies, the researchers analysed these rare rock structures in situ, opening new perspectives for the exploration of extreme environments, both on Earth and Mars.
Silica stromatolites are rock formations generally linked to the activity of photosynthetic microorganisms. The presence of these structures in a dark environment like the Venezuelan cave represents a scientific enigma. The team utilised innovative tools, including a hyperspectral camera, a 3D laser scanner, and devices to detect microbiological activity and sequence DNA directly in the cave.
The research, resulting from a 2023 expedition during which the team of Italian and Venezuelan researchers set up a fully-fledged research camp inside the cave, bringing advanced tools never before used in such a remote context, enabled the identification of bacteria that might be responsible for the formation of the stromatolites and demonstrated the feasibility of conducting real-time microbiological analyses in extreme environments. The results obtained offer significant implications for planetary exploration, where similar tools could be used to study analogous structures on Mars.
The Italian research team studied for the first time the silica stromatolitic structures of the Venezuelan tepuis directly on site, thanks to portable microbiological techniques. "We developed and field-validated microbiological procedures that allowed us to detect microbial activity and identify the bacteria involved," explains Martina Cappelletti from the University of Bologna, adding that "it is possible to carry out real-time DNA analyses even in extreme and isolated places."
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The project was supported by the Genomics degree course at the University of Bologna and the portable laboratory Bento Lab, as well as funding from the "The Geosciences for Sustainable Development" programme, which enabled scientific missions in extreme environments and the development of innovative technologies.
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Silica stromatolites are rock formations generally linked to the activity of photosynthetic microorganisms. The presence of these structures in a dark environment like the Venezuelan cave represents a scientific enigma. The team utilised innovative tools, including a hyperspectral camera, a 3D laser scanner, and devices to detect microbiological activity and sequence DNA directly in the cave.
The research, resulting from a 2023 expedition during which the team of Italian and Venezuelan researchers set up a fully-fledged research camp inside the cave, bringing advanced tools never before used in such a remote context, enabled the identification of bacteria that might be responsible for the formation of the stromatolites and demonstrated the feasibility of conducting real-time microbiological analyses in extreme environments. The results obtained offer significant implications for planetary exploration, where similar tools could be used to study analogous structures on Mars.
The Italian research team studied for the first time the silica stromatolitic structures of the Venezuelan tepuis directly on site, thanks to portable microbiological techniques. "We developed and field-validated microbiological procedures that allowed us to detect microbial activity and identify the bacteria involved," explains Martina Cappelletti from the University of Bologna, adding that "it is possible to carry out real-time DNA analyses even in extreme and isolated places."
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The project was supported by the Genomics degree course at the University of Bologna and the portable laboratory Bento Lab, as well as funding from the "The Geosciences for Sustainable Development" programme, which enabled scientific missions in extreme environments and the development of innovative technologies.
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The research, resulting from a 2023 expedition during which the team of Italian and Venezuelan researchers set up a fully-fledged research camp inside the cave, bringing advanced tools never before used in such a remote context, enabled the identification of bacteria that might be responsible for the formation of the stromatolites and demonstrated the feasibility of conducting real-time microbiological analyses in extreme environments. The results obtained offer significant implications for planetary exploration, where similar tools could be used to study analogous structures on Mars.
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The research, resulting from a 2023 expedition during which the team of Italian and Venezuelan researchers set up a fully-fledged research camp inside the cave, bringing advanced tools never before used in such a remote context, enabled the identification of bacteria that might be responsible for the formation of the stromatolites and demonstrated the feasibility of conducting real-time microbiological analyses in extreme environments. The results obtained offer significant implications for planetary exploration, where similar tools could be used to study analogous structures on Mars.
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The research, resulting from a 2023 expedition during which the team of Italian and Venezuelan researchers set up a fully-fledged research camp inside the cave, bringing advanced tools never before used in such a remote context, enabled the identification of bacteria that might be responsible for the formation of the stromatolites and demonstrated the feasibility of conducting real-time microbiological analyses in extreme environments. The results obtained offer significant implications for planetary exploration, where similar tools could be used to study analogous structures on Mars.
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The project was supported by the Genomics degree course at the University of Bologna and the portable laboratory Bento Lab, as well as funding from the "The Geosciences for Sustainable Development" programme, which enabled scientific missions in extreme environments and the development of innovative technologies.
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The research, resulting from a 2023 expedition during which the team of Italian and Venezuelan researchers set up a fully-fledged research camp inside the cave, bringing advanced tools never before used in such a remote context, enabled the identification of bacteria that might be responsible for the formation of the stromatolites and demonstrated the feasibility of conducting real-time microbiological analyses in extreme environments. The results obtained offer significant implications for planetary exploration, where similar tools could be used to study analogous structures on Mars.
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The project was supported by the Genomics degree course at the University of Bologna and the portable laboratory Bento Lab, as well as funding from the "The Geosciences for Sustainable Development" programme, which enabled scientific missions in extreme environments and the development of innovative technologies.
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)
[#items] => Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[value] => 2025-12-11T00:00:00
[timezone] => Europe/Paris
[timezone_db] => Europe/Paris
[date_type] => date
)
)
[#formatter] => date_default
[0] => Array
(
[#markup] =>
Gio, 11/12/2025
)
)
)
