Ohio State University researchers and their colleagues discovered a new genus of bacteria — dubbed “Frackibacter” — living among 30 other microbial members found living inside wells drilled in Utica shale and Marcellus shale.

Although the wells were drilled in different kinds of shale formations and hundreds of miles apart, the microbial communities inside them were nearly identical, according to Phys.org.

In both wells, the microbes have formed self-sustaining ecosystems the researchers reported in the Sept. 5 edition of the journal of Nature Microbiology. This quality has made it possible for these communities to produce methane, which could inevitably supplement the wells’ energy output.

Learn more: Phys.org > New genus of bacteria found living inside hydraulic fracturing wells