In the dry deserts of western Namibia, scientists have something that has left them completely surprised. Hidden within ancient rocks, they discovered extremely thin, elongated tunnels and some of them are no thicker than a human hair yet stretching in a straight line for up to 10 meters. These rocks, estimated to be around 500 million years old, have raised big questions, as researchers still cannot explain how these tunnels formed or what created them.
The discovery was first made by a professor from Johannes Gutenberg University in Germany. While studying old rocks in the desert, located between 20 and 29 degrees south, he noticed these unusual tunnels. The rocks he was examining were once under the sea. He said that these tunnels don’t match any known natural process, which makes the finding even more mysterious. Inside the tunnels, scientists also found calcium carbonate deposits.
These tunnels were first found by Geologist Cees Passchier from Germany. He was studying very old rocks in the area, which were once under the sea. Professor Paschier said these tunnels were not formed by any known natural process, which left him deeply surprised. Inside the tunnels, they also found calcium carbonate.
On the outer edges of the tunnels, scientists found traces of phosphorus and sulfur — elements usually found in the DNA and proteins of living organisms. However, they did not find any DNA or protein inside the tunnels. Researchers believe these structures are very ancient, possibly 1 to 3 million years old.
Details of this discovery were published in the journal Geomicrobiology. Scientists still don’t know whether these life forms are completely extinct or still hiding somewhere. Passchier said this form of life is so unknown and strange that, by our current understanding, it shouldn’t even exist.
“What is so exciting about our discovery is that we do not know which endolithic microorganism this is. Is it a known form of life or a completely unknown organism?”
According to Cees Passchier, it must be an organism that can survive without light because the tubes have formed deep inside the rock. “We were surprised,” explained Cees Passchier, who first found the tunnels in Namibia 15 years ago, “because these tubes are clearly not the result of a geological process.”
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