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cientists scanning the uni- journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, atures in winter exceeding 45 degrees
verse see the possible pres- revealed that any form of microbial life Celsius.
ence of liquid water on a was absent in the hot, saline, hyper acid The landscape, the researchers said,
world as a clue that there ponds of the Dallol geothermal field in had abundant hyper saline and hyper
S may be conditions friendly Ethiopia. acid pools, with pH — which is meas-
to life. But the infernal landscape of the The researchers, including those ured on a scale from 0 (very acidic) to 14
Dallol geothermal field in Ethiopia’s from the Spanish Foundation for (very alkaline) — even hitting the nega-
Danakil Depression tells a different Science and Technology (FECYT), tive mark. Earlier studies had pointed
story. It says water may not be enough. said Dallol’s landscape extends over that certain microorganisms can devel-
Researchers have found an aquatic a volcanic crater full of salt, con- op in this multi-extreme environment
environment on the Earth with com- stantly releasing toxic gases with and researchers presented the place as
plete absence of any forms of life, an water boiling in the midst of the an example of the limits of conditions
advance that may lead to an improved intense hydro thermal activity. They that can support life.
understanding of the limits of hab- said it is one of the most torrid environ- The researchers said the place was
itability. The study, published in the ments on the planet with daily temper- even proposed as a terrestrial analogue
There is a place on earth

without any form of life

The infernal landscape of the Dallol geothermal field in Ethiopia’s Danakil Depression
suggests that water may not be enough for living being’s survival, reports tehelka bureau

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