Scientists from Linnaeus University in Sweden have made a breakthrough: they’ve dated the first microbial colonization of a meteorite impact crater.

The crater is Lappajärvi in Finland, formed 78 million years ago by a massive impact. After the catastrophe, the collision created a hydrothermal system—a warm, water-rich environment perfect for microbes.

By analyzing isotopic biosignatures in minerals, researchers found evidence of sulfate-reducing microbes living there at about 47°C. Even more surprising, traces of microbial activity lasted over 10 million years, including both methane production and consumption.

This is the first direct evidence linking microbial life to an impact event with precise dating. It shows that impact craters are not just scars of destruction—they can become cradles of life.

The discovery has big implications for astrobiology: if microbes could thrive in Earth’s impact craters, similar habitats might exist on Mars, Europa, or other worlds with ancient impacts.

Life doesn’t just survive catastrophe—it uses it as an opportunity.