Researchers Discover Life on the Seabed asleep for 100 Million Years

Deep under the sea and trapped in 100 million years old ancient rock, there is life. Although not godzila or megalodon, but this discovery shows how life on Earth can survive in places with the most bizarre and extreme conditions.

Scientists recently discovered a group of microbes that live on the seabed. They are able to survive in sedimentary rocks for more than 100 million years with little nutrition.

After being placed in the right conditions in the laboratory, these ancient microbes can even wake up from their "hibernation" to metabolize and multiply again.

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Published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers are known to collect sediment samples from 75 meters from the seabed in the South Pacific Ocean or about 5,700 meters below sea level.

The microbial life that was there was then "reawakened" through techniques in the laboratory. Incubated with carbon labeled with isotopes and nitrogen containing nutrients. Within ten weeks, isotopes are seen on microbes — showing that they have an active metabolism, can eat, and divide.

"This is the oldest microbial from the marine environment that has been revived," said Steven D'Hondt, study author and professor of marine science from the University of Rhode Island.

"Even after 100 million years of hunger, these microbes can grow, multiply, and engage in various metabolic activities when returning to the surface," he added.

The group of microbes is trapped on the seabed after being buried by a layer of sediments formed from "sea snow", debris, dust and other particles.

If sediment is formed under the right conditions, oxygen can still penetrate to depth, but it is difficult to migrate. This is why microbes have remained there for years.

And although the sedimentary layer contains oxygen, the amount of organic matter is very limited - making it a very difficult environment for life.

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Most microbes seem to be aerobic bacteria. That is, they are bacteria that need oxygen to grow and survive. Given the scarcity of nutrients that occur on the seabed, the possibility of these microbes has slowed down their "body clocks" to live very slow lives - as well as slow metabolism and evolution.

"We believe that this microbial group has lived for 100 million years with a low number of generations," said D’Hondt.

Previously, researchers assumed that life could only survive a few meters below the seabed, which is near the edge of the continent where lots of organic material can be found. However, with this study, the researchers prove that life under the sea floor is far more diverse and amazing than previously realized.


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