Mayan underworld proves researchers' dream - Yahoo! News
Mayan underworld proves researchers' dream - Yahoo! News: "The Yucatan sits on a limestone plateau where rainwater percolates down to nonporous rock below ground. Over millions of years, underground river systems have formed that flow out to the sea through caves.The region's 7,000 to 8,000 cenotes were formed when caves collapsed in on themselves. The resulting sinkholes became a vital water source and a focus for Mayan sacrifices to honor Chac, the volatile, crocodile-like rain deity.
In recent years, biologists delving into the underlying river systems, which unlike the sinkholes are jet-black because of the lack of sunlight, have identified 40 entirely new species, mostly blind shrimps and fish which have adapted to life in the system's harsh conditions, where dissolved oxygen and food are scarce.
Among the startling discoveries are microorganisms that live in the transitional zone where the fresh water rivers flow out into the Caribbean, and salt-water sponges which may contain anti-tumor compounds.
'Research is at an early stage, but it is quite possible that the bacteria and sponges may have potential biomedical applications including cures for cancer,' Iliffe told Reuters in a telephone interview. 'There is a great deal of scientific excitement about it.'
Other finds made by divers roaming the deep, dark corridors include the bones of giant jungle sloths, rabbits and even mammoths dating back beyond the last Ice Age."
posted by Matthew O. Smith @ 1:42 PM
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