News Oceans

These ancient seafloor microbes woke up after over 100 million years

Scientists revived long-dormant organisms with carbon and nitrogen in the lab

microscope image of ancient microbes

Seafloor sediment beneath the South Pacific Gyre in the Pacific Ocean contains still-living ancient microbes (colored green in this microscopy image) that are about 101.5 million years old.

JAMSTEC

By Carolyn Gramling

- More than 2 years ago

Read another version of this article at Science News Explores

Even after 100 million years buried in the seafloor, some microbes can wake up.