By: Callum Jones | UNILAD
A rare find in the part of the ocean where Moses is believed to have ‘parted the Red Sea’ could shed more light on the origins of life on Earth, scientists believe.
The Gulf of Aqaba is situated between four countries, Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, spanning 98 miles long and seven to 14 miles wide, according to the US Naval Institute.
However, it’s not just a strip of water, but also a place of legend as it is also believed to be the location where Moses ‘parted the Red Sea’ to lead the slaves across from Egypt to Israel, with Mount Sinai, where he was first called upon by God, believed to be located on the other side of Sinai peninsular where the gulf resides, the Institute of Biblical Archaeology says.
Sam Purkis, who is a professor and chair of the Department of Marine Geosciences at the University of Miami, told Live Science in 2022: “Our current understanding is that life originated on Earth in the deep sea, almost certainly in anoxic — without oxygen — conditions.
“Deep-sea brine pools are a great analog for the early Earth and, despite being devoid of oxygen and hypersaline, are teeming with a rich community of so-called ‘extremophile’ microbes.
“Studying this community hence allows a glimpse into the sort of conditions where life first appeared on our planet, and might guide the search for life on other ‘water worlds’ in our solar system and beyond.”
He added: “Molecules with antibacterial and anticancer properties have previously been isolated from deep-sea microbes living in brine pools.”
So why this discovery is so ground breaking you ask?
Well, scientists know of just a few dozen deep-sea brine pools across the planet, while only three bodies of water are known to host it: the Gulf of Mexico, the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.
According to the study, the pools, which they dub the ‘NEOM Brine Pools’, extend ‘ the known geographical range of Red Sea brine pools, and represent a unique preservational environment for the sedimentary signals of regional climatic and tectonic events’.
Where these brine pools have been found has been another point of interest for experts as previous finds in the Red Sea were found at least 15.5 miles offshore.
The pools discovered in the Gulf of Aqaba, however, are submerged just 1.25 miles from shore.
Purkis added: “At this great depth, there is ordinarily not much life on the seabed. However, the brine pools are a rich oasis of life. Thick carpets of microbes support a diverse suite of animals.”
The team found ‘fish, shrimp and eels that appear to use the brine to hunt’, Purkis added.
“Any animal that strays into the brine is immediately stunned or killed,” he continued. “Ordinarily, these animals bioturbate or churn up the seabed, disturbing the sediments that accumulate there.
“Not so with the brine pools. Here, any sedimentary layers that settle to the bed of the brine pool remain exquisitely intact.”
According to Indy100, this could help mimic the ‘water worlds’ in our solar system, with the goal being to recreate a past ecosystem from over millions of years ago.
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