Life in the Dead Sea

It's pretty exciting really. The so called "Dead Sea" is now found to be home to living bacteria. This is an incredible find. Long suspected to be subject to underwater springs, this theory was proven by a team of scientists in 2010. Underwater craters are spewing fresh water at the bottom of our Dead Sea. Fresh water spewing up from a so called "dead" sea rich with incredibly high salt content is infused with these fresh water springs! What is even more extraordinary, however, is that the scientists have now revealed these underwater springs are harboring an environment where life indeed thrives on the seabeds in the areas of the springs, in the form of bacterial mats as well as scattered bacteria.

While bacteria are small and not exactly the type of life one might think of in the form of strange new fish or other living creatures, it's exciting because it's new life, and because it thrives in an environment not thought to be able to support life. This could be incredible in the scheme of our understanding of living organisms! If something, anything, can actually thrive in such a hostile environment, the perhaps our idea of "life" as we know it, could be forever changed.

Let's explore this discovery a little more, shall we?

Photo by Chalky Lives