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Science Frontiers ONLINE No. 32: Mar-Apr 1984 |
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Spores still viable after 7,000 years
Bacterial spores embedded in muds lining Minnesota's Elk Lake -- the muds were carbon-dated at 7518 years(!) -- grew vigorously when placed in a nutrient-rich solution.
(Anonymous; "Spores Still Viable after 7,000 Years," Science News, 124:280, 1983.)
Comment. Such long periods of suspended animation support the panspermia concept, which states that life can be transported through outer space on meteorites and other debris.