100 Million-Year Old Microbe Revived by Scientists

A team led by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology has successfully revived microbes that were lying dormant at the bottom of the sea since the age of the dinosaurs. The scientists have been able to make the organisms eat and even multiply even after so many years in the sea.

What does this mean?

This research has shed light on the remarkable surviving power of some of the most primitive species on the earth and it is now proved that they can exist for tens of millions of years with barely any oxygen or food before springing back to life in the lab. Since these samples were deposited more than 100 million years ago on the seabed of the South Pacific, it is proved that these can stay in a hibernation state for many years.

The result is all the more significant since the area from where the microbes have been collected contains far fewer nutrients in its sediment than the normal making it a far-from-ideal site to maintain life for these many years. Almost all the microbes could be revived by the team of researchers.

However, it is also correct that the energy levels in these microbes were much lower as compared to the microbes observed in the surface areas.

Month: Current Affairs - July, 2020