Kartavya Kant Tiwari

Scientists have, for the first time, precisely dated when microbial life re-established itself in an ancient meteorite crater. A team at Linnaeus University in Sweden found chemical evidence that bacteria colonized the 78-million-year-old Lappajärvi crater in western Finland soon after a meteorite impact created it. Using radioisotope dating of mineral-rich deposits, the researchers show these microbes thrived in the crater's fractured hydrothermal system. The finding suggests that even meteorite impacts can create long-lived habitats for life. The study is published in Nature Communications. Life in the Lappajärvi Crater According to the study, using radiometric dating and isotopic analysis, the team established a timeline for the crater's biosphere. They dated mineral veins to about 73.6 million years ago (roughly 4–5 Myr after impact), when the subsurface had cooled to ~47 °C. These veins include pyrite (iron sulfide) crystals with unusually low levels of the heavy sulfur-34...