Where would you put a living colony of microorganisms if you wanted to kill it? Probably in a place where there’s no light and no oxygen; throw in some harsh temperatures for good measure and chances are that when you look again in a few million years, there will be absolutely no sign of life.
But nature doesn’t work that way, and life isn’t so easy to eliminate – especially when it comes to microbial organisms, which have proven time and time again that they are very good at adapting to harsh conditions. [...] A team of scientists from the National Science Foundation headed by Dr Jill Mikucki has found another such species, except that is has adapted to thriving with no access to oxygen, sunlight or any outside nutrients.
Life, where nothing lives — by Waleed Zuberi, DAWN SciTech
When I first came across how an ancient microbial system survives without the need for anything we consider essential to biological life, the first thought that came to mind was how this shifts our perspective regarding life on other planets. If life can originate in what we consider the “ideal conditions” on Earth and then adapt to living in a completely different setting, isn’t it possible that this has happened elsewhere in the galaxy – or even the Universe? Read the article for more, and let me know what you think!
Note: I am aware of the part about boiling water being acidic. It is an editing error and should be corrected shortly!
