Deep Michigan Drilling Uncovers Hundreds of Fungal Species in Ancient Subsurface Water

Scientists from the University of Michigan collected water from gas wells drilled between 650 and 1,640 feet into the Antrim Shale, a black, organic-rich formation beneath much of the Great Lakes region. Analysis uncovered 689 fungal species, with 13 never before recorded, coexisting with microscopic worms and tardigrades in water that last reached the surface at the end of the last Ice Age. Each droplet contained about 250 fungal cells, a density similar to that of seawater, indicating that complex eukaryotes can thrive in total darkness.

The findings, detailed in The ISME Journal, challenge the view that deep subsurface environments are inhospitable and suggest that global fungal diversity has been underestimated. Lead researcher Quinn Moon and senior author Tim James propose that these organisms actively break down ancient organic matter, affecting carbon dynamics and offering potential tools for industrial waste cleanup. The living specimens have been deposited in the U-M Herbarium, creating the first public collection of deep-subsurface fungi.