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Scientists Find Ancient Ecosystem In Israeli Cave

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the nature-grey-in-tooth-and-claw dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Israeli scientists said on Wednesday they had discovered a prehistoric ecosystem dating back millions of years. Scientists were called in and soon found eight previously unknown species of crustaceans and invertebrates similar to scorpions. The cave, which Hebrew University Professor Amos Frumkin said is 'unique in the world,' had been sealed off from the outside world since its surface is situated under a layer of chalk that is impenetrable to water."

6 of 105 comments (clear)

  1. Wow by solafide · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Question is, will these new species be able to survive now that they have been opened up to the outside world?

  2. ...and now it's contaminated by frankie · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Well at least it appears the cave doesn't contain some cryptovirus that none of the surface world's immune systems can defeat. Although realistically the opposite is more likely to be true, and everything in the cave gets killed by invading crickets or something.

  3. What have they been eating? by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If they've been in the dark for so long, what have they been eating? You have to get energy into an ecosystem somehow.

    --
    No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
    1. Re:What have they been eating? by Tango42 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It's not matter that's an issue, it's energy. Most ecosystems are powered by the sun (via photosynthesis), this ecosystem must be powered by something. I think cave systems are either powered by chemical reactions from volcanic vents, etc, or on biomatter entering the system from outside. They claim this one was completely cut off, so it's probably some chemical thing.

  4. good on them by johansalk · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The quarry men who knew to call the scientists.

  5. Re:stran9e by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    More to the point, how do they know it was evolution? God could have designed them blind! He would know better than to put eyes on a creature that was going to spend all its life in a cave, scraping out a meager living by making clicking sounds in the darkness.

    (Which begs the question of how many Slashdotters still have eyes...)