Japanese Scientists Discovered 100 Million Years Old Microbes on Sea Floor
Japan: Microbial ecologists have managed to revive microbes that have been buried under the sea floor for over 100 million years. The microbes were still alive, and when brought back to the lab and given food, began to multiply.
The microbial species survive on oxygen and the researchers state that they survived on the little bit of gas that is diffused from the surface of the ocean all the way to the sea floor. There was no other identifiable source of food or energy for the bacteria.
The discovery points to the resilience of microbial life, which can survive on oxygen in minimal quantities, with low energy and food supply. It also has broader implications for our narrow search for extra-terrestrial microbial life and habitability on other planets.
"When I found them, I was first sceptical whether the findings are from some mistake or a failure in the experiment," lead author Yuki Morono told.
"We now know that there is no age limit for [organisms in the] sub-seafloor biosphere".
Professor and study co-author Steven D'Hondt, from the University of Rhode Island, said the microbes came from the oldest samples taken from the seabed.
"In the oldest sediment we've drilled, with the least amount of food, there are still living organisms, and they can wake up, grow and multiply," he said.
Previous studies have shown how bacteria can survive in harsh places, including around undersea vents that are devoid of oxygen.
Mr Morono said the new finding shows that some of Earth's simplest living structures "do not actually have the concept of lifespan".
The study was published in the journal Nature Communications. It was conducted by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), the URI Graduate School of Oceanography, US, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, the Kochi University (Japan) and Marine Works Japan.
