Microbial biosphere with previously unknown life discovered 13 feet beneath Chile’s Atacama Desert: Biology: Nature World News

Microbial life in a hidden ecosystem was found beneath a vast desert area in the South American country of Chile. Earlier this week, a new study revealed that persistent microbial communities were found as bacteria in a microbial biosphere, with previously unknown life, 4 meters beneath the Atacama Desert.

The discovery confirms that microbes can survive even in a harsh environment.

This is not the first time microbial life has been found at the bottom of the Atacama Desert, as previous research has shown their presence at a depth of 2.6 meters above the surface. However, the latest detection of the new biosphere is “completely isolated from the surface”, according to the authors of the study, made up of researchers from Germany, indicating the existence of extreme microbes.

Microbial biosphere discovered

The new research paper highlights the lack of knowledge or limited scientific data when it comes to the deeper subsurface of the Atacama Desert. This is because previous research on the microbial ecology of desert environments has focused on examining surface environments, according to the paper’s authors. The findings also suggest the potential existence of microbial life beneath Mars.

The study, published in the journal PNAS nexus on Tuesday, April 23, the discovery of the microbial biosphere at such depth appears to be the first of its kind in the Atacama Desert. But despite the absence of regular precipitation, the researchers confirmed that microorganisms can still thrive in environments that contain almost no water.

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Atacama desert environment

The Atacama Desert, known as the world’s driest non-polar desert, is located in northern Chile, along the Pacific coast of South America. The desert plateau extends more than 1,600 kilometers west of the Andes Mountains. The Chilean desert is also popular for having the largest supply of sodium nitrate in the world and for being the site of the oldest artificially mummified human remains.

Furthermore, one of Atacama’s most unique terrestrial features is that its soil is very similar to that of Mars. This is why the April 2024 study noted that the desert wasteland could be a “potential analog for subterranean habitable niches on Mars.” The German research team implies that the Atacama Desert itself is “directly relevant to astrobiology.”

Potential life on Mars

In recent decades, astrobiologists led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have focused on the idea of ​​possible life on Mars and selected the planet as a primary target of astrobiological research in our solar system.

Although Mars exploration programs have been developed in recent years, scientists have yet to find evidence of current or past life on the Martian soil.

The Atacama Desert soil has a similar environment to that of the Martian soil, as mentioned earlier. In a 2003 study, researchers also described Atacama as having a Mars-like bottom. These findings suggest that scientists here on Earth could study the Atacama Desert to make theoretical assumptions about Mars’ actual environment, including its role as a host to potential microbial life.

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