Scientists are making significant progress studying microbes on earth. Scientists are learning that the deep sea is home to some of the earths most vast habitats, although the environment seems like it would not be supportive of life. Although samples are scarce in the deep sea, scientists are learning that microbes are surviving, even without exposure to the sun. The data is giving evidence to how evolution took place and is even giving insights into other life in the solar system. Scientists have learned that these ecosystems persist without depending on the sun.
Key Takeaways:
- Recent discoveries of microbes buried deep beneath the ocean’s bottom have given researchers insight into the possibility of life beyond Earth.
- Microbial life sustains itself in the harshest of environments, including in dry deserts, boiling springs, and pools of burning acid.
- Some scientists believe that the study of older sediments and sub-seafloor environments opens the discussion up to the possibility of a variety of evolution drivers.
“Scientists have spent decades studying how and where microbes persist and even thrive beneath the oceans, far removed from the sun.”
Read more: https://www.quantamagazine.org/inside-deep-undersea-rocks-life-thrives-without-the-sun-20200513/
