The work just published by a group of scientists in the journal Geology shows a fascinating find. Trapped in an 830-million-year-old rock salt crystal, they discovered the potential remains of prokaryotic and algae life that apparently they can stay alive.
They say in their work that the rock salt sample is 830 million years old and was obtained through core samples taken within the Neoproterozoic Browne Formation in Australia, at a depth between 1,480 and 1,520 meters.
Through a series of imaging techniques, they discovered well-preserved organic solids locked within an ancient piece of rock salt, known as halite. The researchers argue that these objects bear an uncanny resemblance to the cells of prokaryotes and algae, as well as the organic compounds they can produce.
The study explains that rock salt itself is not capable of supporting ancient life, so potential microorganisms are not simply locked inside the crystals. Apparently, as salt crystals form through the evaporation of salty seawater, they can trap small amounts of water and microscopic organisms in primary fluid inclusions. And within these little pockets of water, they identified possible microorganisms and organic compounds.
The big question comes next, could they still be alive? The authors suggest yes, basically because of what previous work of microorganisms found in halite samples showed. According to the study:
The samples have not undergone any significant decomposition and can be easily recognized despite the passage of hundreds of millions of years. An earlier study found microorganisms living within fluid inclusions locked within 150,000-year-old rock salt. Yet another study, published in Nature in 2000, documented living bacteria inside a similar 250-million-year-old salt crystal. Therefore, it is plausible that microorganisms from the Neoproterozoic Browne Formation exist.
The scientists conclude their study by commenting on the implications that it could have in the search for extraterrestrial life if these microorganisms are alive, “microorganisms that may have existed in the brines on the surface of Mars in the ancient past may be trapped as microfossils in chemical sedimentary rocks” , ditch the study.[[Geology via ScienceAlert]