In northern Chile, the Atacama Desert is the driest in the world. Life is not pleasant there. At least, life in a developed form. Because for several years now, researchers have known that this astonishing desertdeserta few bacteriabacteria no less astonishing. The first meter of earth, in fact, could offer shelter against the ultraviolet rays of the sun and microorganismsmicroorganisms could find some water there.
Bacteria survive underground in the desert
But researchers from German Research Center for Geosciences from Potsdam (Germany) tell today in the magazine PNAS Nexus how they dug more than four meters deep on the Yungay Valley side to collect samples. As a result, in the first 80 centimeters, scientists confirm that life is even rather abundant. They mainly found Bacillota type bacteria there.
And then, nothing more. Probably because the salinity of the soil becomes extreme in these areas. But beyond two meters in depth and up to more than four meters, researchers came across ancient river deposits in which Actinobacteria are mainly hidden. Like those already found in ArcticArctic or on the side of hydrothermal sourceshydrothermal sources or even in salty seas. According to them, these bacteria were able to colonize the soil some 19,000 years ago before being buried under the sandsand. Their water supply could come from gypsumgypsum.
From the Atacama Desert to Mars…and beyond?
The surprise is big for scientists. This biospherebiosphere depth was until then completely unknown to them. And the discovery encourages them to rethink how they imagined desert soils. Including those from planets other than Earth. Planets outside our Solar System. Or even Mars. Because the astronomersastronomers know that the Red Planet hides gypsum deposits which could therefore serve as a Source of water for a form of extraterrestrial life.
