Scientists recently announced the tantalizing discovery of ancient
prokaryotic and algal cells – which may potentially still be alive – inside
an 830-million-year-old rock salt crystal. Now, the researchers have spoken
a little bit more about their recent study and suggested they have plans to
crack open the crystal in the hope of revealing whether this ancient life is
truly still alive.
Initially reported in the journal Geology earlier this month, the team used
a selection of imaging techniques to discover well-preserved organic solids
locked within fluid inclusions embedded in an 830-million-year-old piece of
rock salt, also known as halite. They argue that these objects bear an
uncanny resemblance to cells of prokaryotes and algae.
Crystalized rock salt is not capable of sustaining ancient life by itself,
so the potential microorganisms are not simply locked within the crystals,
like an ant trapped in amber. As rock salt crystals form through the
evaporation of salty seawater, they can trap small amounts of water and
microscopic organisms in primary fluid inclusions.
A video of this incredible crystal can be seen below (at the end of
article). Notice how a bubble can be seen within the crystal as the
researcher gently moves it around – it's within this small fluid-filled
cavity they found the potential hints of life.
Since previous work has indicated that microscopic life can perhaps survive
in a dormant state within the fluid inclusions of salt crystals for hundreds
of millions of year, the team are keen to find out whether these tiny cells
might still be alive.
Speaking to NPR, study author Kathy Benison, a geologist from the West
Virginia University, said they aim to open up the crystal to confirm whether
these organic objects truly are still alive or whether they have
perished.
"There are little cubes of the original liquid from which that salt grew.
And the surprise for us is that we also saw shapes that are consistent with
what we would expect from microorganisms. And they could be still surviving
within that 830-million-year-old preserved microhabitat," Benison told
NPR.
While bringing 830-million-year-old life forms back into the modern world
might not sound like the most apocalypse-proof plan, she’s confident it will
be carried out with the utmost caution.
"It does sound like a really bad B-movie, but there is a lot of detailed
work that's been going on for years to try to figure out how to do that in
the safest possible way," Benison added.
Other scientists agreed with Benison that, if carried out cautiously and
correctly, the feat should not be a concern. After all, an organism that is
hundreds of years of millions of years older than humans is unlikely to be
well-adapted to infect us or bring harm.
"An environmental organism that has never seen a human is not going to have
the mechanism to get inside of us and cause disease. So I personally, from a
science perspective, have no fear of that," commented Bonnie Baxter, a
biologist at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, who was not involved in
the study.