Arsenic Microbe Answers a Long Way Off

I do think that the term GFAJ-1 bacteria may be a misnaming of archaea microbes. These microbes are considered extremophiles and would have been of the earliest life forms found on Earth. One thing is curious is why we do not see such proliferation in ground water systems. Certainly, if extreme environments are presented, it is in variations of ground water.

We do see the release of metals into a water supply in some of the extreme reduced environment where ground water exists. For example, sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) are commonly harvesting a supply of sulfates from geological formations. Lead and barium are released into water supplies by such processes. In environments short on phosphorous you can find bacteria consuming ores elevated in phosphorous. Bacteria have proven adaptable to most extreme environments including halo-salts. It is long thought that bacteria are instrumental in many ground water contamination issues. Biofouled wells are likely more apt to such metal contamination as they may create niches for such reduced activity under the biofilm.

The FGAJ-1 report on microbes, suggest that the arsenic may be inside the genome. I am not aware of that accumulation process in well water but it may mean that the extreme environment they exist is rarely used for a usable water supply for other reasons (too salty comes to mind). It is curious and does open the doors to research.