Scientists at the NCMR-NCCS in Pune have reported a new kind of microorganism – ‘archaeon‘, which they discovered in Sambhar Salt Lake in Rajasthan. Archaea are a primitive group of microorganisms that thrive in extreme habitats such as hot springs, cold deserts and hypersaline lakes. They are known for producing antimicrobial molecules, and for anti-oxidant activity with applications in eco-friendly waste-water treatment.
The new archaeon has been named Natrialba swarupiae. They named the species after Dr. Renu Swarup, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, in recognition of her invaluable role in simplifying some of the provisions of the Biodiversity Act 2002 to ease the deposition of microorganisms in repositories for microbes (culture collections) located outside India.