Microbes in Fracking liquids

At https://phys.org/print449152856.html … an intriguing story. Deep inside the earth, as revealed by fracking, lives a community of microbes (found in fracking wells). These microbes live at great depths it would seem – and apparently have the ability to produce methane (amongst other things). The study was done by researchers at Ohio State University (deep in the heart of fracking country) and is published in PNAS. Hydraulic fracking involves forcing open fissures in rocks by introducting high pressure liguids (mostly water) and sand (with a few add-ons), in order to extract oil and gas trapped in the cracks in the rocks. Fracking liquids tend to stimulate the microbes it would seem  and by analysing the liquids that are brought up by the drilling rigs scientists have been able to draw a parallel between them and microbes found in protein rich ecosystems elsewhere – within the soil, for example, and even in the human gut. It is possible this discovery may aid the research for life on asteroids and planets.