For countless years, scientists and enthusiasts have wondered about the possibility of extraterrestrial life. From grey beings with large, haunting, humanoid eyes to microscopic space bacteria, theories about what might exist beyond our orbit have developed and changed drastically over the years and decades. But, while alien searching has evolved from conspiracy theories to advanced space imaging, there is still much we have to learn before extraterrestrial life could be confirmed. But one new discovery in Antarctica might change the way that we look for aliens, and it could be the key to ultimately finding them.
As described in the journal Nature, scientists have discovered a new bacterium that can survive solely off of chemicals in the air. Discovered in Antarctica, these microscopic organisms can survive off of just hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. Taking the term “extremophile” to the next level, these microbes can survive in some of the most extreme conditions that exist on our planet. These organisms are so unique that they are opening up the potential for finding alien life because, now that we know organisms can exist off of only chemicals in the air, extraterrestrial life could exist in much wilder circumstances than previously thought.
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