The Dead Sea may live, but will the world end?

The Dead Sea, An extraordinary natural wonder, Old and isolated, Never on the level, A river of no return, More salinity than the world's oceans, Not much chance of life, New life found, The wrath of God, "The Dead Sea will live again", The real enemy, The Wadi Mujib, Seabed surprise, New species

The Dead Sea is one of the world's saltiest bodies of water. Little if nothing can live in such high salinity. Or so scientists thought. The recent discovery of fish and other marine life swimming in Dead Sea sinkholes is baffling researchers. It's also been seen by some as a sign of a biblical prophecy foretold by Ezekiel in the Old Testament. So, is this remarkable revelation proof that one of the most ancient lakes on the planet can sustain life, or is it an ominous portent of impending End-of-Days?

Click through and decide what you believe.

The Dead Sea

The Dead Sea, An extraordinary natural wonder, Old and isolated, Never on the level, A river of no return, More salinity than the world's oceans, Not much chance of life, New life found, The wrath of God, "The Dead Sea will live again", The real enemy, The Wadi Mujib, Seabed surprise, New species

The fabled Dead Sea is a salt lake set 427 m (1,400 ft) below sea level—Earth's lowest elevation on land.

An extraordinary natural wonder

The Dead Sea, An extraordinary natural wonder, Old and isolated, Never on the level, A river of no return, More salinity than the world's oceans, Not much chance of life, New life found, The wrath of God, "The Dead Sea will live again", The real enemy, The Wadi Mujib, Seabed surprise, New species

This extraordinary natural wonder lies in the Jordan Rift Valley and is bordered by Jordan to the east and the West Bank and Israel to the west.

Old and isolated

The Dead Sea, An extraordinary natural wonder, Old and isolated, Never on the level, A river of no return, More salinity than the world's oceans, Not much chance of life, New life found, The wrath of God, "The Dead Sea will live again", The real enemy, The Wadi Mujib, Seabed surprise, New species

The Dead Sea has been in existence for three million years. Its basin was filled by water from the Mediterranean Sea before tectonic activity lifted the land to the west, isolating it from its original water source.

Never on the level

The Dead Sea, An extraordinary natural wonder, Old and isolated, Never on the level, A river of no return, More salinity than the world's oceans, Not much chance of life, New life found, The wrath of God, "The Dead Sea will live again", The real enemy, The Wadi Mujib, Seabed surprise, New species

Over time, the Dead Sea's level has fluctuated dramatically, rising to its highest level around 26,000 years ago. But some 18,000 years ago its outlet to the sea evaporated.

A river of no return

The Dead Sea, An extraordinary natural wonder, Old and isolated, Never on the level, A river of no return, More salinity than the world's oceans, Not much chance of life, New life found, The wrath of God, "The Dead Sea will live again", The real enemy, The Wadi Mujib, Seabed surprise, New species

This is due mostly to the siphoning off just below the Sea of Galilee of huge amounts of water from the River Jordan by Israel, Jordan, and Syria to meet their needs in this arid region.

More salinity than the world's oceans

The Dead Sea, An extraordinary natural wonder, Old and isolated, Never on the level, A river of no return, More salinity than the world's oceans, Not much chance of life, New life found, The wrath of God, "The Dead Sea will live again", The real enemy, The Wadi Mujib, Seabed surprise, New species

The Dead Sea has a salinity of 34%. To put that percentage into perspective, Earth's oceans have an average salinity of 3.5%. The Dead Sea is therefore around 9.6 times as salty as any ocean.

Not much chance of life

The Dead Sea, An extraordinary natural wonder, Old and isolated, Never on the level, A river of no return, More salinity than the world's oceans, Not much chance of life, New life found, The wrath of God, "The Dead Sea will live again", The real enemy, The Wadi Mujib, Seabed surprise, New species

Ordinarily, therefore, the Dead Sea's high salinity prevents fish and aquatic plants from living in it.

New life found

The Dead Sea, An extraordinary natural wonder, Old and isolated, Never on the level, A river of no return, More salinity than the world's oceans, Not much chance of life, New life found, The wrath of God, "The Dead Sea will live again", The real enemy, The Wadi Mujib, Seabed surprise, New species

Using specialist equipment, the diving team found new types of microorganisms growing around fissures in the sea floor.

The wrath of God

The Dead Sea, An extraordinary natural wonder, Old and isolated, Never on the level, A river of no return, More salinity than the world's oceans, Not much chance of life, New life found, The wrath of God, "The Dead Sea will live again", The real enemy, The Wadi Mujib, Seabed surprise, New species

In the Scriptures, the Dead Sea itself is said to represent the wrath of God.

"The Dead Sea will live again"

The Dead Sea, An extraordinary natural wonder, Old and isolated, Never on the level, A river of no return, More salinity than the world's oceans, Not much chance of life, New life found, The wrath of God, "The Dead Sea will live again", The real enemy, The Wadi Mujib, Seabed surprise, New species

"But one day," according to Ezekiel 47:8-11, "the Dead Sea will live again. When Jesus rules the earth in the Millennial Kingdom, water will flow from Jerusalem's Temple Mount and fishermen will line the banks of the Dead Sea."

The real enemy

The Dead Sea, An extraordinary natural wonder, Old and isolated, Never on the level, A river of no return, More salinity than the world's oceans, Not much chance of life, New life found, The wrath of God, "The Dead Sea will live again", The real enemy, The Wadi Mujib, Seabed surprise, New species

The Dead Sea's real enemy is evaporation. The sea lies in a desert. Rainfall is scant and irregular. Evaporation of its waters—estimated at about 1,400 mm (55 in) per year—has resulted in its surface area receding to 605 sq km (234 sq mi) from around 1,050 sq km in 1900 (pictured).

The Wadi Mujib

The Dead Sea, An extraordinary natural wonder, Old and isolated, Never on the level, A river of no return, More salinity than the world's oceans, Not much chance of life, New life found, The wrath of God, "The Dead Sea will live again", The real enemy, The Wadi Mujib, Seabed surprise, New species

The River Jordan is the only major water source flowing into the Dead Sea. The smaller Wadi Mujib river, biblical Arnon, also empties into the sea, as do a number of perennial spring-fed streams.

Seabed surprise

The Dead Sea, An extraordinary natural wonder, Old and isolated, Never on the level, A river of no return, More salinity than the world's oceans, Not much chance of life, New life found, The wrath of God, "The Dead Sea will live again", The real enemy, The Wadi Mujib, Seabed surprise, New species

Their studies have revealed a network of complex freshwater springs impressive in length and as deep as 30 m (90 ft). These fissures exit the seafloor through craters as large as 15 m (45 ft) in diameter and 20 m (60 ft) deep.

New species

The Dead Sea, An extraordinary natural wonder, Old and isolated, Never on the level, A river of no return, More salinity than the world's oceans, Not much chance of life, New life found, The wrath of God, "The Dead Sea will live again", The real enemy, The Wadi Mujib, Seabed surprise, New species

But it's those sediment microorganisms never before found in the Dead Sea that have marine biologists scratching their heads in delighted bewilderment.

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