TO Discovery in deserts From Namibia, Oman and Saudi Arabia has opened new doors in the world of geomicrobiology. Mysterious micro-burras They have been discovered in the old marble and limestone, asking questions about their origin. While responsible specific microbes remain unknown, these tunnels can represent a completely new way of life that lived Millions of years ago.
The hidden burrows in the old rock
The Geologist Cees Passchier of Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, ran into these burrows after erosion exposed them in rocky desert formations.
Although there are no living organisms today, team research discovered biological material within the tunnels. This discovery led them to ask: what kind of organism could have created tunnels so intricate in the depths of the rock?
Discarding abiotic processes
Initially, the team ruled out the weathering and abiotic processes such as the cause of the burrows after a careful analysis. Passchier and his colleagues raise the hypothesis that burrows were formed by living organisms, since “a biotic origin of the observed structures implies the presence of liquid water, without which the biological growth would be impossible,” said the research team of the research of the Study published in the GEOMICROBIOLOGY MAGAZINE.
“The investigated areas are currently arid, but they experience occasional showers of rain and dense coastal fog, while wet periods occurred in the past.”
The regions where burrows are arid today, have experienced occasional rains and coastal fog in the past, suggesting that these wet conditions may have supported microbial life millions of years ago.
Investigating possible microbes candidates
The researchers considered several possible microbial candidates, including cyanobacteria, fungi and lichens, all known for surviving in extreme conditions.
However, cyanobacteria They were unlikely because they require sunlight for photosynthesis, and burrows were much deeper than cyanobacteria typically bore.
Similarly, the fungi were fired because they form complex networks called mycelium, which were absent from the burrows. The tunnels were also uniformly and in parallel, a pattern that is not commonly associated with fungal growth. This left the team looking for other potential microbial sources.
Credit: Geomicrobiology Magazine
Evidence of microbial colonies
After a subsequent analysis, the researchers determined that the burrows were too broad to have been created by a single organism. Instead, it seemed that they were made by microbial colonies.
Also, calcium carbonate dust It was found within the burrows, a revealing sign of common microbial excretions in limestone and marble environments. Although No fossilized organisms were foundThe presence of biological materials indicated that life once existed within these tunnels. Passchier and his team He concluded that the burrows had to be of biological origin.
“As you don’t know Chemical or physical weathering mechanism You can explain this phenomenon with the microstructural and geochemical observations presented here, and micro-burras are formed within the guest rock, “they said:” We suggest that they are of biological origin. “
The possibility of surviving life forms
The finding raises exciting possibilities. While the microbes responsible for burrows are extinguished without a doubt, the findings cause issues about whether similar to life It could still exist in isolated regions of the Earthor even on other planets.
The ability of microbes to survive in such extreme conditions millions of years ago suggests that life could prosper in hard environments in other parts of the universe, such as Mars or Venus.
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