A new study reveals that microbial life deep within Earth has persisted and repeatedly flourished through hundreds of millions of years of mountain-building and erosion. By analyzing minerals, fluids and gases from a 2.3-kilometer-deep (1.4-mile-deep) borehole in central Sweden, researchers have uncovered episodic bursts of methane-producing life linked to major geological events that shaped Scandinavia. The paper is published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.

A new study reveals that microbial life deep within Earth has persisted and repeatedly flourished through hundreds of millions of years of mountain-building and erosion. By analyzing minerals, fluids and gases from a 2.3-kilometer-deep (1.4-mile-deep) borehole in central Sweden, researchers have uncovered episodic bursts of methane-producing life linked to major geological events that shaped Scandinavia. The paper is published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.

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  • Maeve@kbin.earth
    1·
    38 minutes ago

    “Our findings demonstrate remarkable resilience. These microorganisms have survived tectonic upheaval, burial, uplift and changing temperatures. They have repeatedly colonized deep habitats and reactivated as conditions became favorable,” Drake says.

    I was listening to a lecture recently that suggested our gut microbiome is similar. Fed healthy bacteria, they grow. Feed the ones that like sugar and upfs, they grow. Unless you’re treating cdiff, I guess.