Posted on 05/16/2022 11:32:51 AM PDT by Scarlett156
We don’t wanna freak you out, but West Virginian scientists may have found a life form more than 800 million years old.
In a new paper published in the journal Geology, West Virginia University geologists say that some of the microorganisms found inside the Browne Formation, an 830 million-year-old rock found in the Australian desert, may still be alive — and if they are, it could help us find life on Mars, to boot.
Taking a piece of the Browne Formation, which includes halite salt crystals, the WVU researchers found organic liquids and solids using non-invasive optical techniques. Within those substances, they then found single-celled organisms known as prokaryotes, which have been discovered in the past to survive hundreds of millions of years when trapped inside salt crystals like the one inside that particular ancient rock.
(Excerpt) Read more at futurism.com ...
The researchers noted in their paper that although “possible survival of microorganisms over geologic time scales is not fully understood,” the Browne prokaryotes, if found to definitely be alive, could have huge implications for the search for life on Mars, where rock compounds similar to the Browne Formation are abundant.
What could possibly go wrong?
It’s only a clump of cells. Kill it.
“It’s alive! It’s alive”!
Just add water? /s
Organisms...NOT Orgasms!
Exactly
I hope you’re not too disappointed.
Timely, seeing as Earth is pretty much screwed up.
Prokaryotes. As opposed to amateur karyotes.
Perhaps it's Schrödinger's cat.
This is the way many a Sci-fi horror movie started.
now that’s some faith that can move a mountain!
(except that it’s faith in the wrong god.)
I hated that movie.
I watched that episode of X-files.
Lots.
Not at all. We could learn a lot studying the physical world around us. Sorry for the levity.
LOL. “Scientists”
“There is still cellular activity in these burned remains. They’re not dead yet!”
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