A rare discovery in the part of the ocean where Moses is believed to have “parted the Red Sea” could provide new insights into the origins of life on Earth, scientists believe.The Gulf of Aqaba lies between four countries—Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia—spanning 98 miles in length and between seven and 14 miles in width, according to the U.S. Naval Institute.However, it is more than just a body of water; it is also a place of legend. It is believed to be the location where Moses “parted the Red Sea” to lead the enslaved Israelites from Egypt to Israel. Mount Sinai, where he was first called upon by God, is thought to be located on the opposite side of the Sinai Peninsula, where the gulf is situated, according to the Institute of Biblical Archaeology.But this region may also offer a deeper scientific understanding of how life on Earth could have formed, scientists suggest, following the discovery of “death pools” nearly 4,000 feet below the surface.
Brine pools were discovered at the bottom of the Red Sea
Sam Purkis, a professor and chair of the Department of Marine Geosciences at the University of Miami, told Live Science in 2022:”Our current understanding is that life originated on Earth in the deep sea, almost certainly in anoxic—without oxygen—conditions.”Deep-sea brine pools are a great analog for the early Earth and, despite being devoid of oxygen and hypersaline, they are teeming with a rich community of so-called ‘extremophile’ microbes.”Studying this community thus provides a glimpse into the conditions where life first appeared on our planet and may also guide the search for life on other ‘water worlds’ in our solar system and beyond.”He added: “Molecules with antibacterial and anticancer properties have previously been isolated from deep-sea microbes living in brine pools.”So why is this discovery so groundbreaking, you ask?Well, scientists are aware of only a few dozen deep-sea brine pools across the planet, and they exist in just three known bodies of water: the Gulf of Mexico, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Red Sea.According to the study, the pools—dubbed the “NEOM Brine Pools”—extend “the known geographical range of Red Sea brine pools and represent a unique preservational environment for the sedimentary signals of regional climatic and tectonic events.”
The brine pools are a rare find
The location of these brine pools has been another point of interest for experts, as previous discoveries in the Red Sea were found at least 15.5 miles offshore.However, the pools discovered in the Gulf of Aqaba are submerged just 1.25 miles from shore.Purkis added: “At this great depth, there is ordinarily not much life on the seabed. However, the brine pools are a rich oasis of life. Thick carpets of microbes support a diverse suite of animals.”The team found “fish, shrimp, and eels that appear to use the brine to hunt,” Purkis noted.”Any animal that strays into the brine is immediately stunned or killed,” he continued. “Ordinarily, these animals bioturbate, or churn up, the seabed, disturbing the sediments that accumulate there.”Not so with the brine pools. Here, any sedimentary layers that settle to the bed of the brine pool remain exquisitely intact.”
