The Atacama Desert harbors unique desert life with diverse microbes.New techniques separate genetic material in low-biomass ...

The Atacama Desert, which runs along the Pacific Coast in Chile, is the driest place on the planet and, largely because of ...

In one of the most unforgiving environments on Earth, a spectacular blooming event is happening. This phenomenon, sometimes called a “desert bloom,” is filling sections of the Atacama with ...

This 2012 satellite photo shows a quartet of near-identical glaciers on Canada's Ellesmere Island. The ice masses help to spark life in the otherwise barren Arctic environment.

A new technique allows researchers to separate external and internal DNA to identify microbes colonizing the hostile environment of the Atacama Desert.

The area also receives less than 2.5 inches (6.4 centimeters) of precipitation each year — making it a polar desert, according to NASA's Earth Observatory. As a result, only 144 people live on ...