In an incredible scientific feat, Professor Barbara Sherwood Lollar took the bold step of sipping the oldest water known on Earth.
This intriguing find occurred back in 2016, during a geologist’s exploration of a mine in Canada. What they uncovered was astounding—water lying about three kilometers deep, estimated to be between 1.5 and 2.6 billion years old!
Professor Sherwood Lollar noted, “When people hear about this water, they often think it’s just a tiny trickle trapped in the rock. But actually, it bubbles up significantly. It flows at impressive rates of several liters per minute, showcasing a larger volume than anyone really guessed.”
Curious about this ancient liquid, she decided to taste it. Interestingly, she found the water to be “extremely salty and bitter,” far saltier than ocean water. This was an intriguing find, as saltier water tends to be older—and given its billion-year history, that makes perfect sense.
Reflecting on her experience, Sherwood Lollar remarked, “If you have spent time as a geologist working with rocks, you’ve probably tasted a lot of them!”
Further examination by her team unveiled traces of past life within the water through analyses of its sulfate compositions. “What we discovered suggests that microorganisms thrived in these fluids over immense periods of time,” she explained. “This wasn’t a peculiar mix created overnight; it indicates a long-term biological presence.”
Luckily, there were no alarming outcomes from her taste-test—no weird sci-fi consequences, and she’s back to share her fascinating experience.
Her findings were published in the journal Nature back in 2016.
This article was originally posted on October 26, 2023.
