Recently the DNA of some microbes was discovered deep within the Earth’s surface and they are the oldest ones ever found. Experts say the rock they were found within is some 2 billion years old, putting the previously oldest 100 million year-old microbes to shame.
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00:00This is a photo of the DNA of some microbes discovered deep within the earth's surface
00:08and they are the oldest ever found.
00:11Experts say the rock they were found within is some 2 billion years old, putting the previously
00:15oldest 100 million year old microbes to shame.
00:18This is absolutely gargantuan as not only does this move the benchmark of how long microbial
00:23life can exist within materials, but it also gives scientists a novel look at prehistoric
00:27DNA, as microscopic life that becomes trapped and isolated in rock evolves at a significantly
00:32reduced rate.
00:33This find might tell us how microbial life could sustain and evolve on earth, with one
00:38of the researchers explaining, by studying the DNA and genomes of microbes like these,
00:42we may be able to understand the evolution of very early life on earth.
00:46However, they add it might also provide clues about how it might survive on Mars, as while
00:50the Martian atmosphere is inhospitable, life might be able to go on under its surface.
00:55The wild bit is that it was only excavated from material found just 50 feet underground.
01:00That stone was once molten magma that cooled over time, trapping the living organisms within
01:05the 25,500 square mile area.