The Atacama Desert of northern Chile is the oldest and most arid nonpolar environment on Earth. It is a coastal desert covering approximately 180,000 km², and together with the greater Atacama region it comprises a dramatically wide range of ecological niches. Long known and exploited for its mineral resources, the Atacama Desert harbors a rich microbial diversity that has only recently been discovered; the great majority of it has not yet been recovered in culture or even taxonomically identified. This review traces the progress of microbiology research in the Atacama and dispels the popular view that this region is virtually devoid of life. We examine reasons for such research activity and demonstrate that microbial life is the latest recognized and least explored resource in this inspiring biome.

中文翻译：

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阿塔卡马沙漠：技术资源和新型微生物多样性的重要性日益增长

智利北部的阿塔卡马沙漠是地球上最古老，最干旱的非极性环境。它是一个沿海沙漠，覆盖约180,000 km ²，与更大的阿塔卡马地区一起，构成了范围广泛的生态位。阿塔卡马沙漠长期以来一直以其矿产资源而闻名并被开采，它拥有丰富的微生物多样性，直到最近才被发现。它的绝大部分尚未在文化中恢复，甚至还没有通过分类学鉴定。这篇评论追踪了阿塔卡马州微生物学研究的进展，并消除了人们普遍认为该地区几乎没有生命的观点。我们研究了此类研究活动的原因，并证明了微生物生命是这一鼓舞人心的生物群落中最新的公认且探索最少的资源。