Deep in the bowels of northern Chile’s Atacama Desert, researchers have stumbled upon a mind-blowing discovery that’s shaking up the science world. The team dug nearly 14 feet down to unearth a bustling biosphere hidden beneath the desert floor, teeming with a variety of microbial communities and diverse soil types, as outlined in a study published this spring.
Scientists identified resilient microbes known as Actinobacteria that also exist in hot springs worldwide and even the Arctic, according to Live Science. Their findings are fascinating because the Atacama is like the ultimate survival test for living organisms thanks to its bone-dry, super salty, and ultraviolet radiation-soaked environment.
Very few animals can survive in the extreme climate above ground in the Atacama, with only a handful like Darwin’s leaf-eared mouse and the South American gray fox making it their home. Water is scarce there. Over four years, researchers recorded only one significant rainfall, just about 0.091 inches, thanks to an El Niño event.
“Little is known about microbial life in deeper sediment layers,” researchers wrote in the study. “Communities described in this study could represent the upper extent of a deep biosphere underneath hyperarid desert soils.”
Scientists have been digging around in the Atacama for ages, trying to unlock its secrets, and now they’ve hit the jackpot. These microscopic life forms are the deepest ever found in the desert, and they’re throwing the whole “life needs water” rulebook out the window. The research team did find gypsum deposits in the soil, however, which might offer an alternative nutrient source for the underground microbes.
The Atacama’s extreme environment makes it a great analog for Mars, providing a unique testing ground for scientists. While NASA has attempted to probe the surface of Mars, none of their explorations have reached as deep as what these scientists achieved in the Atacama. So, here’s to the hardcore microbes of the Atacama, the ultimate survivors who prove that life finds a way, no matter how tough the odds.
