Scientists drilling into sediment beneath the South Pacific
Gyre pulled up microbes from seabed layers as old as 101.5 million
years. Starved in one of the poorest habitats on Earth, many of the
cells were still viable: when given nutrients under oxygen-bearing
laboratory conditions, they repaired their metabolism, took up
carbon and nitrogen, and began to multiply. They are among the
oldest microbial communities ever revived from dormancy.
Jun 14, 2026
