00:00This is a photo of the DNA of some microbes discovered deep within the Earth's surface,
00:08and they are the oldest ever found. Experts say the rock they were found within is some
00:132 billion years old, putting the previously oldest 100 million year old microbes to shame.
00:18This is absolutely gargantuan, as not only does this move the benchmark of how long
00:22microbial life can exist within materials, but it also gives scientists a novel look
00:26at prehistoric DNA, as microscopic life that becomes trapped and isolated in rock evolves
00:31at a significantly reduced rate. This find might tell us how microbial life could sustain
00:36and evolve on Earth, with one of the researchers explaining,
00:39By studying the DNA and genomes of microbes like these, we may be able to understand the
00:43evolution of very early life on Earth. However, they add it might also provide clues about how
00:48it might survive on Mars, as while the Martian atmosphere is inhospitable, life might be able
00:53to go on under its surface. The wild bit is that it was only excavated from material found
00:58just 50 feet underground. That stone was once molten magma that cooled over time,
01:03trapping the living organisms within the 25,500 square mile area.
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