Microbe Discovery Rewrites History

Science is consistently uncovering fossils and artifacts which reshape our perception of the human species and history. Recent discoveries such as a 400,000 year old tooth, in a Qesem Cave near Tel Aviv, became a new mystery to paleontologists, since the finding extends a previously known existence of the Homo sapien, Neanderthal split back another 200,000 years. The discovery lends further understanding to origins of the human species, but like all scientific discoveries it creates more questions and new mysteries to uncover.

One such discovery is a strange living organism found trapped in a tiny bubble, nestled in a rock salt crystal dating to 35,000 years ago. It's nearly unimaginable to think a small organism like this could last indefinitely given the right conditions. The finding further demonstrates just how robust life can be with its ability to enter a mode of stasis over thousands of years for later reactivation.

NASA's latest microbe discovery of B. monosierra  demonstrates the existence of arsenic-based life at Mono Lake, California. The news became instant controversy, considering what it implies to the search for life outside of Earth. A strain of bacteria able to leverage arsenic instead of phosphorus means that life can thrive under the most extreme conditions known to mankind, including in the most inhospitable reaches of the distant universe. The same conditions life on Earth requires are not necessarily the conditions life requires on other planets in other galaxies.

Research and development invested into the discovery of life in the universe tipped the proverbial iceberg and the results are far reaching through various disciplines. Older theories are tested to the brink of having to rethink what we once knew. We have begun a journey down the rabbit hole, with each new discovery requiring a change in perception of reality. Every new discovery is a new piece added to the puzzle, an opportunity to learn and reorganize our knowledge of the universe by realigning to evolving knowledge. 

Society is in ways conditioned and accustomed to accepting scientific theory to be scientific fact. Theories need revision and scrutiny to reach the facts. Sometimes it appears though science has been wrong all along, but this is a symptom of theory. Without theorizing over the possibilities of life and our existence, any of these discoveries could not be possible. This new era is indeed a very exciting time, begging those with keen interests to want to know more. With every new discovery, it is imperative we keep asking more questions and keep driving for answers.

Image Credit: Messier 42 NASA, ESA, M. Robberto (Space Telescope Science Institute/ESA) and the Hubble Space Telescope Orion Treasury Project Team