Scientists have discovered ancient waters flowing in deep rock formations in locations around the world. The waters have a chemical makeup that suggests they can support types of microbes millions or billions of years old that live off chemical reactions with minerals rather than sunlight.
This changes traditional notions of where life is on earth, and may also be useful in the exploration of Mars.
Listen“What we found are ancient, flowing groundwater, much deeper and much older than anybody had thought before,” says Barbara Sherwood Lollar, professor of earth sciences at the University of Toronto and lead author of this study. “But most importantly…(the water is) full of the kind of energy that can support deep sub-surface life.”
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