William D. Leavitt

Lipid Hydrogen Stable Isotope Probing Reveals Decadal-Scale Generation Times for Archaea in Hot Spring Sediments

This study uses lipid hydrogen stable isotope probing to estimate archaeal generation times in hot spring sediments, finding decadal-scale rates in Yellowstone and slower rates in El Tatio.

Acetogenic methane-carbon monoxide comproportionation: an exergonic but unobserved microbial metabolism

This paper identifies acetogenic methane-carbon monoxide comproportionation as an exergonic microbial metabolism that could support life in anoxic environments on Earth and other planetary bodies.

Environmental controls on crenarchaeol distributions in hydrothermal springs

The paper quantifies iGDGT composition in thermal springs to investigate how pH and temperature influence crenarchaeol abundance and membrane lipid structure in archaea.

The clumped isotope signatures of multiple methanogenesis metabolisms

This study investigates the clumped isotope signatures of different methanogenic pathways and identifies factors influencing methane isotope compositions.

Lipid hydrogen isotope compositions primarily reflect growth water in the model archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius

This study shows that lipid hydrogen isotope compositions in Sulfolobus acidocaldarius reflect growth water, offering a reliable hydrological proxy for extreme environments and planetary studies.

Hydrogen Isotope Composition Of Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum Lipids: Comparing Wild Type To A nfn- Transhydrogenase Mutant

The paper compares hydrogen isotope composition in lipids of a wild-type and nfnAB mutant strain of Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum to study hydrogen isotope fractionation mechanisms.