How Life Thrives In The World’s Most Toxic ‘Poison Cave’—Undiscovered For Over 5 Million Years

With high carbon dioxide, low oxygen and no photosynthesis, here’s how an entire ecosystem persists ... [+] in one of the world’s most extreme environments.
Life, as we know it, is exceptionally good at surviving in places it has no business existing.
From hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the ocean, alkaline pools in Africa’s crater lakes, to Antarctica’s volcanic ice caves, evolution has turned even the most hostile corners of our planet into thriving ecosystems.
And yet, few places are as extreme—or as eerie—as Movile Cave in Romania.
For over 5 million years, this subterranean time capsule remained completely cut off from the rest of the world, hidden beneath a thick slab of limestone and clay.
No sunlight ever penetrated its depths, and the air is a noxious brew of toxic gases. Most life forms on Earth would die within minutes if trapped inside. But not everything.
Inside, a unique ecosystem has flourished in complete isolation, powered by a process rarely seen on land. This self-sustaining world challenges our understanding of what life requires—and might even offer clues about life on other planets.
Movile Cave Sustains Itself With No Photosynthesis Whatsoever
Movile Cave was first discovered by accident in 1986 when Romanian workers were scouting for a site to build a nuclear power plant.