Ancient Bacteria Still Breathe in 250-Million-Year-Old Salt
Tiny microbes trapped inside salt crystals from the Permian period have been revived in laboratories and continue to metabolize after a quarter-billion years. Scientists discovered these halophilic bacteria sealed in fluid pockets within rock salt formed when shallow seas evaporated. Their survival shows life can remain dormant for geological timescales without losing its core functions.
💡 Fun detail:
Some of the revived cells even produced gas bubbles that popped after hundreds of millions of years, proving their ancient metabolism still works today.
Source: National Geographic