Associated Press - November 26, 2009 1:25 PM ET

LOGAN, Utah (AP) - Utah State University's Center for Integrated Biosystems will conduct a 3-year research study of microbial life in the Great Salt Lake.

The study seeks to understand how the microbes survive in the lake's extreme environment. The study is a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy's Environmental Molecular Science Laboratory.

The lab plans to build a database of the proteins found in the lake's bacteria and archea, another microbe found in extreme environments.

The data will be used to monitor protein changes as microbes respond to different oxygen levels.

Scientist Stephen Callister says the research may uncover new proteins that have evolved to survive in salty conditions.

The research builds on other USU genetic sequencing studies documenting what lives in the lake.

Information from: The Herald Journal, http://www.hjnews.com

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