Contrary to popular belief, the Dead Sea is not dead. It is populated by microorganisms, most of which belong to the group of salt-tolerant archaea. Archaea (from the Greek archaĩos, "archaic") are among the most primordial life forms on earth and have managed to survive particularly in extreme environments. A research group in Freiburg led by Dr. Ivan Berg has studied the metabolic processes in these microorganisms, which have previously eluded evolutionary biologists.