Mmastodon ScienceScience first seen 3 d ago, last 3 d ago, peak #3

Movile Cave: Romania's 5.5-Million-Year Sealed Ecosystem

Original: There's a cave on Earth sealed off from the surface for 5.5 million years. Romania's Movile Cave gets zero sunlight — it

Movile Cave in Romania has been sealed off from the surface for roughly 5.5 million years and receives no sunlight at all. Its entire ecosystem runs on sulfur chemosynthesis rather than photosynthesis, sustained by bacteria that oxidize sulfur compounds. Of the roughly 50 species found inside, 33 are endemic, existing nowhere else on Earth. The cave's isolated web of spiders, crustaceans and other creatures continues to fascinate scientists and the public alike.

Why now: Striking facts about an extreme, little-known ecosystem resurface and circulate among people interested in science and biology.

Movile CaveRomania

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Evidence

• There's a cave on Earth sealed off from the surface for 5.5 million years. Romania's Movile Cave gets zero sunlight — its whole ecosystem runs on sulfur chemosynthesis instead of photosynthesis. Of the ~50 species found inside, 33 exist nowhere else on the planet. # science #… · eatrics · 4

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