Scientists Find 2-Million-Year-Old Tunnels Spanning 2 Continents Built By Unknown Life Form

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Geologists documented microscopic tunnel networks in ancient marble and limestone across three desert regions, underscoring a widespread biological signal. Identified by Professor Cees Passchier as biologically formed by an endolithic microorganism, these microbial tunnels were first seen in Namibia and later confirmed in Oman and Saudi Arabia. Radiometric and stratigraphic dating of surrounding rock place them at 1–2 million years old in the Pleistocene. Measuring about 0.5 millimeters wide and several centimeters long, the structures retain biological residue but no recoverable DNA, leaving the organism unknown. The findings focus new collaboration on bioweathering, carbon cycling, and potential analogs for life in rock on Mars, while noting that no living specimens have been found.

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00:00Scientists find two-million-year-old tunnels spanning two continents built by unknown lifeform.

00:07Geologists have uncovered microscopic tunnel networks etched into ancient marble and limestone

00:12across multiple deserts, challenging assumptions about early life on Earth.

00:17These tiny, tube-like structures suggest the work of an unknown organism that lived millions

00:21of years ago.

00:23Initially discovered in Namibia, identical tunnels were later confirmed in Oman and Saudi

00:27Arabia.

00:28Planning thousands of miles across three desert regions, the structures indicate a widespread

00:34biological phenomenon rather than isolated geological anomalies.

00:38For decades, geologists overlooked these formations because traditional surveys focused on large-scale

00:44rock features.

00:45Ancient endolithic life, organisms living inside rock, went largely unnoticed until microscopic

00:51analysis exposed the hidden networks.

00:55Scientists dated the surrounding rock using radiometric and stratigraphic methods, placing

00:59the tunnels between one and two million years old during the Pleistocene.

01:04This timing aligns with early human ancestors and predates known fossil records of desert subsurface

01:09life.

01:10Professor Keyes Pashir identified the tunnels as biologically formed by an endolithic microorganism.

01:15Measuring about 0.5 millimeters wide and extending several centimeters long, the structures

01:22contain biological residue but no recoverable DNA, leaving the organism unidentified.

01:27The Namib deserts' extreme aridity preserved the rock exceptionally well, allowing Pashir's team

01:34to recognize the pattern and later confirm it across continents.

01:38After more than 15 years of investigation, Pashir emphasizes that the discovery's significance

01:42lies in its unanswered questions.

01:45Despite clear biological signatures, no genetic material remains.

01:50This could be due to extreme age, environmental degradation, or unfamiliar biochemistry.

01:56While frustrating, the limitation opens the possibility of discovering life forms that defy current

02:01classification systems.

02:03The findings triggered global collaboration among geologists, microbiologists, and astrobiologists

02:08transforming the tunnels into a shared research focus.

02:12If similar organisms still exist, they may influence bio-weathering, mineral breakdown, and long-term

02:17carbon cycling, processes central to climate science and Earth system models.

02:23Life thriving inside rock without sunlight strengthens theories that similar organisms could exist on

02:28Mars or other rocky planets, expanding the search for extraterrestrial life.

02:33No living specimens have been found, raising the possibility of extinction or survival in unexplored

02:40subsurface niches.

02:42The tunnels redefine assumptions about life's limits.

02:45While their creator remains unknown, the mystery itself opens a new frontier in understanding

02:49Earth's hidden and possibly universal biosphere.

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