Yacasstudyenes

Yacasstudyenes is a fictional taxon created for speculative biology and science fiction. It is described as a clade of extremophilic, chemolithoautotrophic microorganisms capable of thriving in hydrothermal-vent–like environments. The name is a constructed term, combining a fictional locus “Yacas” with the word “study” and the common taxonomic suffix “-enes,” and it is not recognized by real-world taxonomic bodies.

In the imagined biology, Yacasstudyenes are small, mostly rod- or coccoid-shaped cells with thick cell envelopes and pigment granules that can appear iridescent in mineral-rich fluids. They are depicted as anaerobic chemolithoautotrophs that derive energy from redox reactions involving hydrogen sulfide, reduced metals, and other inorganic substrates, fixing carbon dioxide through pathways such as the reductive acetyl-CoA pathway or a hypothetical reverse TCA cycle variant. They are portrayed as metabolically flexible within their extreme habitats, though they lack dependence on sunlight.

Ecologically, Yacasstudyenes are said to inhabit deep-sea vent–like ecosystems, iron-sulfide substrates, and heated saline pools in fictional settings. They can form layered biofilms on mineral surfaces and interact with cohabiting vent microbes, contributing to mineral deposition and local geochemistry in the imagined biosphere.

Genetically, speculative accounts assign genomes of about 1.8 to 2.4 million base pairs with around 1,900 to 2,300 predicted genes, including families for metal transport, stress response, and basic biosynthetic capabilities. In fiction, horizontal gene transfer and CRISPR-like defense systems are plausible features.

Discovery and usage: the term is attributed to a speculative biologist in a thought experiment and is common in world-building, taxonomy debates, and educational exercises to illustrate challenges in microbial classification and naming. Reception varies, with critics noting its fictional status while proponents use it to explore biosafety and methodological questions.