(Phys.org)—A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in Spain and Italy studying the aftermath of the eruption of the Tagoro underwater volcano in 2011 and 2012 has found that colonies of bacteria living in filaments attached to the volcano surface (named Thiolava veneris which is Lation for Venus’ hair) were the first organisms to colonize the volcano after the eruption. In their paper published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, the group describes how they used a remotely operated vehicle to study the volcano and the events that have transpired since the bacteria moved in. David Kirchman with the University of Delaware offers a News & Views piece on the work done by the team in the same issue.