A surprising statement was made by Penelope Boston of the NASA Institute of Astrobiology at a presentation last weekend at a conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science – she said that the agency's scientists were able to find microorganisms trapped inside the pores of crystals 60 thousand years ago.
It turns out that these strange ancient microorganisms developed in incredible conditions: in some incredible way they survived practically without sulfites, manganese and copper oxide.
“The discovery plays a key role in understanding the evolutionary history of microbial life on our planet,” she said.
The microbes have been found in the Naica mine, in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. The mine is famous for its huge crystals, some of which are up to 15 meters long.
Analysis showed that about 100 different types of microorganisms, ranging in age from 10,000 to 60,000 years, were found in the Naica crystals, most of them bacteria. Moreover, ninety percent of these bacteria have never been observed until now.
The discovery has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, but nevertheless now, according to Boston, scientists have every reason to believe that the discovered living organisms are able to survive in the extreme conditions of some other planets and moons in our solar system.
Sources: phys
