Science & Technology

Microbes found 2,400m below the seabed

By T.K. Randall
December 16, 2014 ·  13 comments

The organisms were found deep below the bottom of the sea. Image Credit: NOAA The presence of extreme life forms in the depths of the ocean has been well documented in recent years, but now scientists venturing even deeper still by drilling in to the ground beneath the seabed have revealed the discovery of microbes living in some of the most inhospitable conditions seen anywhere on Earth.

Despite having no light, no oxygen and a very limited amount of water and nutrients the organisms however seemed to be thriving.

"We keep looking for life, and we keep finding it, and it keeps surprising us as to what it appears to be capable of," said researcher Elizabeth Trembath-Reichert.The team had used a special drilling apparatus to penetrate a record-breaking 8,024ft in to the rock beneath the ocean floor where they removed core samples from an ancient coal bed system.

"We chose these coal beds because we knew there was carbon, and we knew that this carbon was about as tasty to eat, when it comes to coal, as you could get for microbes," said Trembath-Reichert.

The discovery widens further the possibilities that life may exist in similarly extreme conditions on other worlds where most conventional life forms would be unable to survive.

Source: BBC News | Comments (13)

Tags: Life, Earth