Discover a group of geologists in Pune Atacama Argentina is an ecosystem consisting of Gaps Crystalline and vast salt plains that form an ecosystem unknown on this planet. “This lake could be one of the best modern examples of the first signs of life on Earth,” said Brian Hynek, one of the scientists who participated in the study. Discovery.
in launchThe scientists explained, “This strange environment, so far unknown to science, consists of a system of lakes surrounded by vast salt plains. It is located in the Buna region in Atacama to Argentina, a high desert more than 12,000 feet above sea level. It is among the driest environments on Earth. Here, rain rarely, if ever, falls, and the sun’s rays beat relentlessly, creating an environment in which few plants or animals can survive.
he Discovery It happened by chance when researchers found it in the Northwest Argentina A group of mysterious pools, revealed by satellite images of the desert. These never-before-seen ponds contain rocky ridges inhabited by microbes resembling the most primitive life forms known on Earth.
Brian Heinrich and Maria Farias, a microbiologist and co-founder of environmental consultancy PUNABIO SA, were researchers who walked several kilometers to find the lakes. “It is unlike anything I have ever seen before, or indeed, anything any scientist has ever seen,” Hynek said in a statement.
at recent days Discovery The desert includes twelve pools of clear, shallow water, surrounded by mountains, covering an area of 10 hectares, according to the report. Beneath the surface of these lakes, scientists noticed small hills covered in green microbial growth. “It’s amazing that undocumented things like this can still be found on our planet,” Hynek said, adding that Discovery It constitutes the “biggest eureka moment of my life.”
These living mounds are about 4.6 cm wide and provide a window into the early stages of life on Earth and even on the red planet Mars.
Hynek commented that preliminary observations indicate that life forms could be stromatolites (complex communities of microbes whose secretions harden in rock layers) similar to those that existed on Earth in the Archean era (between 4,000 and 2,500 million years ago), when the atmosphere did not contain On oxygen.
Currently, freshwater and marine stromatolites do not reach the gigantic dimensions they were in past eras. However, microbes have recently emerged Discover In northern Argentina, they are similar in size to ancient stromatolites, which can reach 6 meters in height.
“We think these mounds are actually growing from microbes, which is what happened in ancient mounds,” Hynek said.
“If life on Mars had evolved to the fossil level, it would have been like this,” Hynek said. “Understanding these modern communities on Earth can tell us what to look for when looking for similar features in Martian rocks,” he added.
However, scientists will have to collect enough evidence to confirm their theory given that the area will be used to exploit lithium. “This entire unique ecosystem could disappear within years,” he said. “We hope to be able to protect some of these sites, or at least detail what is there before it disappears or is disturbed forever.”
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