Archaea are important microbes that contribute to biogeochemical cycling. Most archaea are difficult to grow in the lab, which has limited our ability to understand them, but new genetic sequencing and analysis tools allow researchers to study microbes without cultivating them. Recently, a team of researchers used such tools to identify new potential archaeal genomes from stratified salt crust. They identified three new genomes that likely represent a new phylogenetic order within the phylum Ca. Nanohaloarchaeota, and the researchers named this order Nucleotidisoterales. Examining the genes these archaea possess revealed key information about their potential functions and behavior. First, this order probably cannot use carbohydrates for energy and instead recycles and uses nucleotides (e.g., DNA bases) and proteins. They also appear to employ the same techniques as other Ca. Nanohaloarchaeota from saline habitats to avoid collapsing due to the salt in their environment. This new order had a high proportion of acidic amino acids in their proteins, unlike Ca. Nanohaloarchaeota from geothermal environments, which favor basic amino acids to resist the extreme heat. While more research is needed to confirm these potential ecological functions, this study adds to our understanding of this now expanded phylum.