The oldest living microbes were found in 2 billion year old rock!

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Lerato Khumalo

Meters below the surface of the earth, environments may occasionally occur where microbe-like organisms can survive for long periods of time. These tiny organisms can survive for millions of years by developing at a very slow rate.

A study conducted in South Africa has revealed organisms that are approximately 1.9 billion years older than previously discovered living microbes. These microbes were discovered in the Bushveld Igneous Complex, a complex formed by the slow cooling of magma beneath the Earth’s surface.

This area the size of Ireland is home to some of the richest mineral deposits in the world, and approximately 70 percent of global platinum production comes from here. The Bushveld Igneous Complex remains largely unchanged, providing an environment suitable for ancient microbes to survive.

Researchers unearthed a 30-centimeter-long, 2-billion-year-old rock sample from 15 meters underground. It was observed that microbes living on the rock, isolated from their surroundings, were protected by a clay residue. To confirm that these microbes were not carried to the surface during drilling, the researchers used a variety of imaging techniques.