Discovery of carbon and life in the heart of the Earth

The discovery of scientists working on a project called Deep Carbon Observatory, a study of carbon movement below the surface of the Earth, suggests that space is not the only place where life exists.

This study involved scientists from 40 countries over a period of 10 years - starting in 2009 with a budget of 500 million USD.

March 7 led the initial research results of scientists, published in the new book, said in the Earth's heart there existed many millions of years old bacteria, gas-living cells. Hydrogen and natural gas are produced by the chemical reaction of rocks.

This magical world is the place of 'hiding' of carbon - essential for life.

Studies on meteorites show that the Earth is made up of materials containing about 3% carbon. However, the amount of carbon in the rocks, oceans and atmosphere is only small.

The question is, where does the remaining carbon go, in what form? This carbon study has found that the amount of carbon that is so difficult to imagine exists in the Earth's heart and participates in the development of life since the planet began to form.

Barbara Sherwood Lollar scientist

Scientists say about 3.8 billion years ago, the biological process broke the relatively homogeneous rock structure of the young planet, gathered carbon and formed different rocks - that It is the existence of minerals on the surface of the Earth today.

The head of the research, Robert Hazen, said the continents' movement had brought the layers of carbon-rich rock on the Earth's surface deep inside.

Finally, this amount of carbon returns to the ground in the form of carbon dioxide through volcanic eruptions, linking the biological cycle at the surface and inside of the Earth.

Scientist Barbara Sherwood Lollar of the University of Toronto - one of the study participants, discovered a similarity between a bacterium that exists in the American Galapagos underworld and bacteria found under depth. nearly 3km in South Africa - the bacteria are separated from the ground for at least 10 million years.

Scientists believe that the discovery of carbon that exists in large quantities within the Earth could provide a solution to the current climate change crisis. That is to keep the soil in the atmosphere.

Scientists say there are places on Earth that store CO2 for tens of millions of years. Besides, research on carbon in the Earth also helps scientists learn about life on other planets.

Scientists believe that signs of life on other planets like Mars can be found underneath its surface. Indeed, the results of the study conducted on Earth could be a test for the discovery of other planets.

Robert Hazen, a lead scientist at Deep Carbon Observatory, said the discovery really changed people's understanding of the Earth, making scientists understand our planet in a whole new way.