Discovery of Ancient , Microorganisms Could Impact , the Search for Alien Life.<br />A team of researchers have discovered <br />830-million-year-old microorganisms <br />that could still be alive. .<br />'Vice' reports that the discovery <br />may have implications for <br />the search for alien life on Mars. .<br />A team from West Virginia University discovered the microorganism in a piece of ancient halite in the Browne sediment formation in central Australia.<br />A team from West Virginia University discovered the microorganism in a piece of ancient halite in the Browne sediment formation in central Australia.<br />Halite is the mineral form <br />of sodium chlorine that forms <br />in both saltwater and salty lake water.<br />The microscopic organisms were discovered<br />in a fluid inclusion, a pocket of gas <br />or water trapped in the rock. .<br />Even after such a significant <br />amount of time, these microorganisms <br />are still detectable. We might find <br />biosignatures in similar minerals <br />(halite and gypsum) on Mars <br />that are returned to Earth, Sara Schreder-Gomes, First author on the paper and former Master’s Candidate in Geology at West Virginia University, via Motherboard.<br />The authors of the study suggest the organisms could be extremophiles, microbes that live in extreme temperature or acidity conditions. .<br />We know that modern halophilic <br />(salt-loving) organisms, including<br />bacteria, archaea, algae, and fungi, <br />have ‘survival mechanisms’ that allow <br />them to survive adverse conditions, Sara Schreder-Gomes, First author on the paper and former Master’s Candidate in Geology at West Virginia University, via Motherboard.<br />Vice reports that rocks <br />in the Browne Formation share <br />similarities with Martian rocks. .<br />Mars once had saline lakes which <br />formed halite and could also potentially <br />be home to surviving microorganisms.<br />Mars once had saline lakes which <br />formed halite and could also potentially <br />be home to surviving microorganisms.<br />Ancient chemical sediments, both of terrestrial and extraterrestrial origin, should be considered potential hosts for ancient microorganisms and organic compounds, Researchers, via paper published in 'Geology'
