Cryptic Oddballs

by Jamie
 

Figure 1.  Electron micrograph of Psyogygisp infected by a virus. Source
 

Readers, sharpen your pencils and put on your secret decoder rings. We need you to crack these cryptograms!
 

First is a list of Archaea – prokaryotes that were con­si­dered "oddball bacteria" before Carl Woese and others showed that they are actually more closely related to us than to bacteria. Below that is a list of truly oddball bacteria – those that thrive in extreme environments.
 

Each list was encrypted separately, so each list has its own coding scheme. The answer key will be posted on Monday.
 
 

Archaea     

Fxtuegwyrper rzcqgwxcyse   

Psyogygisp rzcqgzryqrucsp 

Etfxrdgzryqgzgzzsp lrddrpzxcc 

Xrygmsrqurfse jrypihc

Btgbteer irugppc

Drdgruzxrtse tmscfrdp

Etfxrdgpruzcdr usetd

Etfxrdgwhusp vrdqytuc

 

Figure 2.  A cozy home for Rkwljoxixvpk might be this subglacial stream of < 1°C at the Glacier de Mont Mine, Swiss Alps. Source

Bacterial extremophiles

Usevxlxllfk opuexufopvk

Ljowksxcplmsoefi qossvzpvusvkek

Mjsoifk phfpmelfk

Kpzevelxzp kpzpoefk

Mjexcplezzfk pleuxrjezfk

Jszelxcplmso rwzxoe

Kpzevecplmso ofcso

Rkwljoxixvpk evqopjpiee
 

 

And here is, as promised, the answer key (PDF).