**2-Billion-Year-Old Rock Sample Reveals Oldest Known Living Microbes**

In a groundbreaking study, researchers from the University of Tokyo have uncovered microbial life in a 2-billion-year-old rock sample, marking the oldest known instance of living organisms within ancient rock. The discovery, made in the Bushveld Igneous Complex in South Africa, is a significant milestone in understanding early life on Earth and could also impact the search for life on Mars.

The microbes were found living within sealed fractures of the rock, discovered using a combination of advanced imaging techniques including infrared spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and fluorescent microscopy. By integrating these methods, the scientists confirmed that the detected microbes were genuinely indigenous to the ancient core sample, ruling out contamination during the retrieval and analysis process.

Lead researcher Yohey Suzuki from the University of Tokyo expressed excitement over the findings, noting that previous studies had only found living microorganisms in geological layers up to 100 million years old. "This discovery opens new doors for understanding early life forms on Earth," commented Suzuki.

The Bushveld Igneous Complex, where the rock was excavated, spans approximately 66,000 square kilometers and contains some of the richest ore deposits on the planet. Formed over a million years from slowly cooled magma, the complex has provided a stable habitat for microbial life to persist over billions of years. The rock sample examined in this study was obtained with the help of the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program from about 15 meters below the Earth's surface.

Interestingly, this discovery also has implications for astrobiology. Suzuki noted that NASA’s Mars rover Perseverance is set to return with rock samples of a similar age to those found in this study. The successful identification of 2-billion-year-old microbes on Earth increases the possibility of finding similar ancient microbial life on Mars, enhancing our understanding of life's potential existence beyond our planet.