# @seed on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/BhKS-s9HKOp
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/34247999-seed-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/75b2808cc0.jpg
- **Posted:** 2018-04-04T19:50:30.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Seed (@seed) — https://gondola.cc/seed

## Caption

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#Invisible life thrives even in the driest #places on #Earth. ⠀
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#Scientists are now using the dormant #microbes of Chile's #Atacama #Desert 🏜 as a living example of potential for life on #Mars. Below the Atacama's hostile surface, resilient microbes have adapted to withstand the harshest conditions: infrequent #rain (0.6 in per year 💦) and extreme UV radiation. The earth here is so salty, it’s like a solid, immovable #ocean. ⠀
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Scientists speculate it’s possible that these microbial #communities can lay dormant for hundreds or even thousands of years in these conditions. Once rehydrated by the rains, evidence of #ATP (adenosine triphosphate—the essential energy ⚡️ #molecule found in living systems) emerges.⠀
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In another #hemisphere, in the #southwest deserts of the U.S., the #rocks appear colored in #beautiful shades. These color #formations aren’t a result of wear and tear on the boulders, but rather evidence of ‘desert varnish’, a reddish layer of #clay and iron oxide brought on by the resident #bacteria absorbing trace amounts of #manganese and #iron from the #atmosphere. This #patina also includes cemented clay particles which help to shield the bacteria against desiccation, extreme heat, and intense #solar radiation.⠀
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## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 74
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## Tags

clay, atp, iron, microbes, rocks, earth, manganese, ocean, scientists, atmosphere, rain, southwest, solar, invisible, bacteria, hemisphere, desert, communities, atacama, mars, patina, molecule, beautiful, places, formations

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