A meteor as big as 4 times Mount Everest hit the Earth, this is what happened

As a result of the extremely strong impact, the temperature of the upper ocean immediately rose significantly, causing the waters to boil. Not only that, the earth’s atmosphere is also greatly heated.

One of the major effects of this event was the creation of a thick dust cloud that covered the entire planet. These dust clouds block the sunlight, which in turn causes great disturbance to the ongoing photosynthesis process.

Photosynthetic activity, which is essential for life on Earth, stops, affecting plant life and the microorganisms that depend on it. However, although many forms of life are at risk, bacteria are showing great resistance to this disaster.

Drabon and his research team found that while much other life died or ceased, the ancient bacteria that existed at that time had the ability to survive in extreme conditions. This opens new perspectives on the adaptive properties of the most primitive organisms that can survive even in extreme environments.

After the S2 meteor impact, researchers found a spike in the number of bacteria that metabolise iron ​​​​​​​​and phosphorus. This phenomenon is related to the tsunami event that stirred up the deep ocean and brought these chemical elements to shallow waters.

In addition, the S2 meteorite itself also carries phosphorus, contributing to the increase in the number of bacteria that use this element as an energy source. This shift towards the dominance of iron-loving bacteria was an important part of the evolution of early life on Earth.

According to Drabon, although this change was short-lived, it provides a key insight into how microbial life evolved and survived through extreme environmental changes. The existence of bacteria that use iron as an energy source shows how the first organisms on earth could adapt and thrive in very different conditions compared to today’s life today.