Scientists Crack Open 2-Billion-Year-Old Rock, Find Living Microbes

The discovery raises intriguing possibilities for the search for life beyond our planet.

NASA on The Commons, via Wikimedia Commons
Earth as seen by the Apollo 17 crew traveling toward the moon, December 7, 1972. The research underscores the potential of ancient microbial colonies to provide insights into the early evolution of life on Earth. NASA on The Commons, via Wikimedia Commons

Scientists have identified living microbes within a 2-billion-year-old rock formation, marking the oldest known instance of such organisms found in ancient geological structures.

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