In the middle of Turkmenistan’s Karakum Desert lies something that looks straight out of a nightmare. The Door to Hell which is a massive, burning crater that has been on fire for decades. Soviet-era drilling reportedly caused it in 1971. They say a gas rig collapsed, and to stop poisonous gas from spreading, they set it alight. As reported by BBC, Adventurer George Kourounis is said to be the first person to actually descend into this pit. A 30-metre deep inferno. He calls it intimidating. The orange glow from the flames makes everything look almost Martian. Standing at the edge, it seems impossible to imagine life existing down there.
Yet, Kourounis and his team found tiny extremophile bacteria in the soil. Alien life, right here on Earth, apparently.
