Scientists Finding Strange Life Forms in Great Salt Lake

A consortium of scientists, including a Utah biologist, say some weird creatures found in the Great Salt Lake might help unravel some of the mysteries on Mars.
Though the Great Salt Lake is a dead sea - drying up even more this year from years of drought - it's far from dead. On the northern arm of the lake microbiologists from Westminster College in Salt Lake have been taking samples of water.
With levels now at a 30-year low, the salt in portions of the shrinking lake has reached saturation levels ten times the salinity of seawater. Westminster, the University of Maryland and George Mason University are not only finding life where life shouldn't exist, but life, perhaps like nothing of this earth.
Instead of the rods, spheres and spiral shapes microbiologists are familiar with, they're seeing organisms shaped like pyramids, triangles, squares and crescents.

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Just another example of life being where it shouldn't be. Discoveries like this show how life will find a way, no matter how harsh the environment.

Here is more info on life being where it's not supposed to be.

Link

I just loved this part.

Inside Westminster's lab, Dr. Bonnie Baxter and her team can easily revive the organisms inside the Salt Lake crystals. The Great Salt Lake scientific consortium would love to see what might happen now if you could bring pieces of salt formations from Mars back to earth.

Let's revive it and see what happens....

Originally posted by NotTooHappy

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Instead of the rods, spheres and spiral shapes microbiologists are familiar with, they're seeing organisms shaped like pyramids, triangles, squares and crescents.

Were there any marshmallows found? I was camping there the other day and some green leprechaun stole my lucky charms. It's ok though...I got his pile of gold...fair trade if you ask me.

[Edited on 3-6-2004 by fawlty]

'Nother article, Clickee, clickee...