Scientists discover unknown prehistoric world — on Earth

In the profoundly remote Argentina desert, at over 12,000 feet high, and in a place where no roads go, scientists found an exotic world new to science.

Among white salt plains atop the Puna de Atacama plateau, there’s a system of greenish lagoons harboring vast bacterial communities, called stromatolites, that create layered mounds as they expand. The unique ecosystem might be a glimpse into Earth, billions of years ago, when primitive organisms first appeared on our planet.