Biologists find odd cave life

BOSTON: In a Mexican cave system so beautiful and hot that it is called both Fairyland and hell, scientists have discovered life trapped in crystals that could be 50,000 years old.

The bizarre and ancient microbes were found dormant in caves in Naica, Mexico, and were able to exist by living on minerals such as iron and manganese, said Penelope Boston, head of NASA’s Astrobiology Institute. .

The 40 different strains of microbes and even some viruses are so weird that their nearest relatives are still 10 per cent different genetically.