When Earth Iced over, Early Life May Have Sheltered in Meltwater Ponds

News24 | How did life survive 'Snowball Earth'? In ponds, study suggests

A group of scientists has found an astonishing diversity of microorganisms in tiny pools of melted ice in Antarctica, suggesting that life could have ridden out Snowball Earth in similar ponds

How life endured the Snowball Earth: Evidence from Antarctic meltwater ponds

During Earth's ancient Snowball periods, when the entire planet was wrapped in ice, life may have endured in tiny meltwater ponds on the surface of equatorial glaciers. MIT researchers discovered that these watery refuges could have supported complex eukaryotic life, serving as sanctuaries for survival amid extreme conditions. Their investigation into Antarctic melt ponds revealed not only evidence of eukaryotes but a striking diversity shaped b…

Ask a Ranger: Ice Age relicts on San Francisco Mountain

The Pleistocene Epoch, approximately 11,700 to 2.6 million years ago, is known as the Ice Age. Multiple times during this period much of Earth’s land surface was covered by thick sheets of ice. In places where ice was thick enough…

How did life survive 'Snowball Earth'? In ponds, study suggests

Earth has not always been so hospitable to live. During several ice ages, the planet's surface was almost completely frozen over, creating what has been dubbed "Snowball Earth".

When Earth iced over, early life may have sheltered in meltwater ponds

When the Earth froze over, where did life shelter? MIT scientists say one refuge may have been pools of melted ice that dotted the planet's icy surface.

When Earth Iced Over, Early Life May Have Sheltered in Meltwater Ponds

Modern-day analogs in Antarctica reveal ponds teeming with life similar to early multicellular organisms.