Alien-Like Microbes May Have Carved Tunnels Into Solid Rock Millions of Years Ago – Indian Defence Review

Deep beneath desert stone, scientists have uncovered tiny, perfectly aligned tunnels that may have been carved by ancient microbesDeep inside marble and limestone formations in the deserts of Namibia, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, scientists have uncovered something astonishing: thin, perfectly aligned tunnels—carved through solid stone—that may have been made by mysterious microbial life forms millions of years ago. A new study published in the Geomicrobiology Journal suggests these structures were not formed by natural erosion or geological processes, but possibly by ancient endolithic organisms that fed on the rock itself and left a striking signature of life in one of Earth’s harshest environments.The discovery began in Namibia, where researchers from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) spotted bizarre structures embedded in marble. At first glance, they resembled tiny, uniform tubes—barely half a millimeter wide and up to three centimeters long—running in parallel formations through the stone. Later expeditions to Oman and Saudi Arabia revealed the same formations in both limestone and marble samples.“We were surprised because these tubes are clearly not the result of a geological process,” said Professor Cees Passchier of JGU, who first spotted the strange formations.The tubes were found nestled within ancient rocks that formed under high pressure over hundreds of millions of years. What made them even more unusual was their content: instead of being hollow, the tunnels were filled with fine calcium carbonate powder, suggesting the presence of microbes that dissolved minerals for nutrients and left behind a powdered residue.The structures baffled geologists because they didn’t resemble anything known to form through natural rock processes like erosion or crystallization. Unlike random patterns caused by wind or water, these burrows appeared highly ordered, following parallel lines for up to ten meters across some rock faces.“We noticed strange structures in this marble that were not the result of geological events,” remarked Passchier.In several samples, researchers also observed crusts of calcrete forming around the edges of the tunnels, reinforcing the hypothesis that a biological process was at work. These crusts, typically formed in semiarid regions, indicated that the tunneling organisms may have been active during a time when the desert climates were more humid—possibly one to two million years ago.To better understand what could have created these formations, the Mainz University team collaborated with Dr. Trudy Wassenaar of Molecular Microbiology and Genomics Consultants. Their hypothesis: the tunnels were made by endolithic microbes—organisms that live inside rocks, often surviving without light, relying instead on chemical interactions with minerals for energy.“What is so exciting about our discovery is that we do not know which endolithic microorganism this is,” said Passchier. “Is it a known form of life or a completely unknown organism?”Endoliths include bacteria, fungi, and lichens that thrive in some of the planet’s most extreme environments, including deep caves, Antarctic ice, and Martian analog deserts. But this case is different: the microbial traces left behind are millions of years old, and any DNA or proteins that might help identify the life form have long since degraded.Beyond the mystery of what kind of life left these markings is a deeper question: what were they doing to the rock? If these organisms were indeed dissolving calcium carbonate and releasing carbon in the process, they may have contributed to shifts in the Earth’s carbon cycle over long timescales.Professor Passchier suggests that this type of microbial activity could be far more important to the global carbon balance than previously thought—particularly in arid regions, where such microbes might continue to operate under the radar.“It is therefore essential that the scientific community becomes aware of it,” Passchier emphasized in the published study.The idea that microbes hidden inside solid rock could influence planetary processes like CO₂ regulation opens the door to new models of Earth’s biogeochemical cycles—and raises provocative questions about what other unknown microbial ecosystems may be doing beneath our feet.Comment Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

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