830 million-year-old organisms found locked in ancient crystals could be resurrected - Livescience.com

Ancient salt crystals trapped ancient life.

Salt crystals from Central Australia hold ancient microorganisms that became trapped 830 million years ago, new research finds. .

The researchers discovered this ancient life by peering into the salt crystals using light microscopy, meaning they didn’t disturb the fluid pockets — and the status of the life inside them is unknown.

However, scientists have previously claimed they resurrected primeval microorganisms found in salt crystals, so it’s possible that the Australian organisms may also still be alive.

Ancient microorganisms have been found in salt crystals before, with the oldest dating back to the Permian period about 250 million years ago.

Most studies of these crystals are destructive, however, said study co-author Sara Schreder-Gomes, who conducted the research while at West Virginia University.

These methods can make it tricky to understand how old the microorganisms inside the fluid pockets are?

For example, some fluid pockets form immediately as the salt crystal takes shape, meaning anything trapped inside is the same age as the crystal, Schreder-Gomes said.

They then conducted a microscopic examination of the halite using both visible and ultraviolet light, magnifying the contents of the fluid pockets inside by up to 2,000 times and focusing on the primary crystals that formed 830 million years ago. .

Salt-loving microorganisms are survivors, capable of going dormant or otherwise altering their metabolisms to stay alive during times when the water around them dries up, Schreder-Gomes said.

"If they were able to survive 250 million years, why not a few hundred million years more?" Schreder-Gomes said

The Browne formation rocks formed in a similar environment to the environment that likely existed on ancient Mars, Schreder-Gomes said