Hidden deep below the ground, a vast ecosystem of tiny organisms is reshaping scientists’ understanding of how life can survive in some of the planet’s most inhospitable environments.
A team of researchers uncovered a hidden, yet thriving, world of rock-eating fungi, worms, and tardigrades buried hundreds of feet beneath the Great Lakes region. The findings, published in The ISME Journal, identified 689 unique fungi species, including 13 newly described species, in drops of water that hadn’t seen the surface world in thousands of years.
“The discovery opens a window into a world that is dark, ancient and almost entirely hidden—but is far from…
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