Researchers have discovered a “treasure trove of life” beneath our planet’s surface; This is much larger than scientists expected.
An incredibly vast system teeming with life has been discovered deep beneath our feet, deep within the planet. IFLScience writes that in recent years an international team of scientists has found more and more evidence that billions of billions of organisms live underground at depths of several kilometers.
Explaining the results of their work, scientists said that they had discovered a “mysterious treasure of life” and that it was much larger than they expected. The study’s authors concluded that approximately 70% of the total number of microbes on the planet actually lives in soil. Moreover, these microbes contain a total of 15 to 23 billion tons of carbon; that is, hundreds of times more than the carbon mass of all humans on the surface of the planet.
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When it comes to identifying these organisms, scientists think they can identify only a tiny fraction of them. But this alone is enough to suggest that the genetic diversity of life beneath the Earth’s surface may be comparable to, and perhaps superior to, life on the surface. As a result, scientists have dubbed this ecosystem the “subterranean Galapagos.”
This underground ecosystem is thought to be dominated by bacteria and archaea, although the team also found large numbers of eukarya here. For example, scientists managed to discover and describe a previously unknown nematode living at a depth of 1.4 km in a gold mine in South Africa.
Thanks to ultra-deep sampling, scientists can now find these microorganisms almost anywhere, according to study author Karen Lloyd, an assistant professor of microbiology at the University of Tennessee. But scientists believe that samples taken today only reach a small part of Earth’s deep biosphere.
The scientists’ research builds on the results of dozens of studies by their colleagues who examined samples obtained by drilling 2.5 to 5 kilometers deep into the Earth’s crust, both on the sea floor and on inner continents.
The team says it was surprising to find so much life in conditions of crushing pressure, lack of light and nutrients. But the study’s authors believe that examining this hidden “treasure trove of life” could shed light on many questions about the limits of life, both on Earth and beyond.
In the future, scientists plan to continue research, as many questions still remain unanswered. For example, we don’t know how life in the deepest parts of the planet affects life on its surface or vice versa.
Previously Focus He wrote that a hole was found in the heart of the Earth: scientists understood why the core of our planet is leaking.
Source: Focus
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.