Avi Blizovsky
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Primitive bacteria live in an extremely salty environment - pockets of water at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. This is what European researchers said on Thursday (6/105). The findings, published in the journal Science, added to the number of environments where life has been found, including hot and cold areas as well as sulfur springs. "It's time to add a fact to the debate surrounding the question of whether life can exist outside of Earth." say the researchers.
The researchers, led by Paul van der Wielen from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, found what they describe as a thriving colony of bacteria in the ancient salty pockets. These pockets are found in the eastern Mediterranean, and their age is estimated at 6 million years. There is no oxygen in these salty lakes, so it was not thought that there was life there.
"The discovery site contains salt water with the highest concentration of magnesium chloride found so far in a marine environment. Prison concentrations are considered deadly," they wrote. However, the team found ancient bacteria and bacteria-like bacteria in this water, including a type known as archaeobacteria. "Our results indicate that bacterial metabolism can exist at significant levels in some of the most saline environments and this supports the possibility of extraterrestrial life." concluded the researchers.
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