科學家發現古老生物 壽命高達4萬歲

34,000-year-old bacteria have been found inside tiny, fluid-filled chambers within the salt crystals below Death Valley in Eastern California, according to a scientist at the University of Hawaii.

美國夏威夷大學的一名科學家日前稱其在加州東部死亡谷地下的鹽晶體中充滿液體的小細胞中發現了一種細菌，其壽命高達34000歲。

"They're alive, but they're not using any energy, they're not reproducing," said Brian Schubert, who made the discovery. Schubert, who is now an assistant researcher at the University of Hawaii, said the bacteria was shrunken and suspended in a type of hibernation state.

“他們還活着，但是不再消耗能量，也不再繁衍，”這種細菌的發現者舒伯特 布賴恩說道。舒伯特 布賴恩是美國夏威夷大學的助理研究員，他稱該種細菌處於萎縮冬眠狀態。

The reason for the microbes' astounding life span appears to be due to the fact that they were trapped alongside the algae of a group called Dunaliella. "The most exciting part to me was when we were able to identify the Dunaliella cells in there, because there were hints that could be a food source," he added.

至於該細菌爲何會擁有如此驚人的壽命，他認爲應該是它們終年生活在“杜氏鹽藻”中的原因。“最讓我感到興奮的是我們在該細菌附近發現了杜氏鹽藻細胞，因爲這意味着鹽藻細胞可能是這些細菌的食物來源，”布賴恩補充道。

Tim Lowenstein, a professor in the geology department at Binghamton University says that new research indicates this process can occur in modern saline lake. The new findings are published in the January 2011 edition of GSA Today, the publication of the Geological Society of America.

美國賓厄姆頓大學地質學系的教授蒂姆 羅文斯坦認爲，這一新研究表明類似的過程也可能發生在現在的鹽水湖中。這些最新的研究成果發表在2011年1月份的美國地質學會的期刊《今日美國地質學會》。