Detecting life in Earth's dead zone, bringing alien portraits

Unbelievable life forms have just been discovered in the deep salt lakes of the Red Sea, which is as hard to live as many alien lands.

According to Live Science, deep sea salt lakes are extremely salty or super alkaline, form at the bottom of the sea and are one of the most extreme environments on Earth. It is certainly not a place to be judged suitable for life, because of its strange chemistry and complete lack of oxygen.

But many microorganisms have shocked scientists because they can not only live but also grow densely and strongly in those harsh conditions.

A deep salt lake at the bottom of the Red Sea

Scientists believe that it is these unimaginable life forms that could provide insights into how life on Earth, and even alien life, began and evolved.

"Our current understanding is that life originated on Earth from the deep seabed, almost certainly under hypoxic - oxygen-free conditions," said Professor Sam Purkis, Chair of the Department of Marine Geosciences. at the University of Miami - USA, lead author of the study, said.

The team found that what might be called the "death zone" of Earth today almost perfectly reproduces the environment of the early Earth, and demonstrates that with this peculiar type of environment, There will still be favorite species even if the planet goes through billions of years of evolution.

They live in the deep sea salt lakes of the Red Sea, which is also home to the largest number of lakes in the world, believed to have arisen from the dissolution of pockets of minerals deposited during the Miocene (about 23 million to 5 years ago). .3 million years ago), when sea levels were lower than they are today.

The area where the strange creatures were found are the lakes in the Gulf of Aqaba, north of the Red Sea. In addition to the microorganisms that exist right inside this strange "oasis of life", there are also small predators such as fish, shrimp, and eels lurking just above the salt water, waiting for prey to stray inside. in salt water and get stunned or "sudden death", making it easy for them to grab.

These lakes also preserve intact sediments from many important events of the Earth's geology. But the most precious is still the microorganisms that live in it.

"This could guide the search for life on other water worlds in our solar system, and beyond," added Professor Purkis.

This claim comes from the fact that space scientists have found a lot of planets and moons with conditions that support life, but are not perfect, something is missing.

However, the discovery that many organisms live in even "unlivable" conditions on Earth suggests that we should redefine what we call "living conditions".

We may like to breathe oxygen, but there are Earth creatures that like to breathe gases that are said to be toxic to us, or not as light-loving as we are. Aliens can also carry that "portrait", rather than aliens needing oxygen, needing food in the manner of an Earthling.

The study has just been published in the scientific journal Communications Earth and Environment.

•