An 830 million-year-old rock salt crystal is set to be opened by a group of geologists. It is likely to include ancient microbes, some of which might still be alive. Researchers from the Geological Society of America initially revealed the finding of this old crystal earlier this month. They said that they discovered microscopic traces of prokaryotic and algal life using a variety of imaging methods.
For millions of years, this has been kept in small pockets of fluid within the crystal. The creatures were discovered inside fluid inclusions, which are small bubbles. Scientists believe they may be used as microhabitats for microscopic colonies.
Kathy Benison, a geologist from the West Virginia University and author of the study said, ‘There are little cubes of the original liquid from which that salt grew. And the surprise for us is that we also saw shapes that are consistent with what we would expect from microorganisms. And they could be still surviving within that 830-million-year-old preserved microhabitat’.
A biologist at Westminster College in Salt Lake City shared her opinions on the topic. She said that these results were not only a significant step forward in understanding the beginnings of life on Earth, but also opened the door to the discovery of life on other worlds.
According to Kathy, while the prospect of opening this crystal seems intriguing, it is more akin to a sci-fi horror thriller. She guarantees that it will be done with caution. ‘It does sound like a really bad B-movie, but there is a lot of detailed work that’s been going on for years to try to figure out how to do that in the safest possible way’, she added.
If this proves to be a success, it might aid in the search for extraterrestrial life. This is because scientists will be able to demonstrate that if life is stored properly, it can live for hundreds of millions of years.
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