New type of bacteria on Earth found in Terracotta Warriors pit  

中国发现新种地球微生物：兵马俑芽胞杆菌

福建省农业科学院19日宣布，该院刘波团队从秦始皇兵马俑1号坑土壤分离的FJAT-13831T菌株，为世界上首次发现的一种地球微生物——芽胞杆菌属的新种，被命名为兵马俑芽胞杆菌(Bacillusbingmayongensissp.nov。)。[查看全文]

Fuzhou (CNS) -- The Fujian Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences said they have found a new type of bacillus from the soil of Emperor Qin's Terracotta Warriors pit, China News Service said on Thursday.

The new bacteria was isolated from the No. 1 Pit soil of Emperor Qin's Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an, Shanxi province, it said.

It was named "Bacillus bingmayongensissp.nov."

The founding was published in the online version of an international journal of microbiology named after Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek.

With government support, Dr. Liu Bo led a team in investigating bacteria in the soil for the first time.

The discovery proves the scientific value of the historical site, and may provide new ways of utilizing bacteria, experts said.