650 Feet Down Under

I visited the Hutchinson Salt Museum today and rode an elevator down 650 feet. During the tour I read about the bacteria that had been discovered trapped in water inside salt crystals. The bacteria were dormant, but when released from their trap, then they began to multiply. They were still alive after an estimated 250 million years. Some modern bacteria share genetic material with this ancient bacteria, thus indicating the salt crystal bacteria are ancestors. The remarkable thing about this discovery, that was publicized back in 1999, is that simple lifeforms are so very resilient. Though numerous species of larger lifeforms have gone extinct, some of the simplest remain intact. What a remarkable gift is life!