Salt crystals from Central Australia contain ancient microorganisms dating back 830 million years
New research suggests that salt crystals from Central Australia contain ancient microorganisms that became trapped 830 million years ago, and there is a chance that some of the microorganisms are still alive. The single-celled organisms are trapped in tiny pockets of liquid – smaller than the width of a human hair – in halite, or salt, from a sedimentary rock formation.