What if the next breakthrough antibiotic isn’t discovered in a laboratory, but deep inside a cave?
A recent review suggests it could be growing quietly on the walls of India’s cave systems.
Scientists are turning their attention to an unexpected world beneath the country’s surface: microscopic fungi that survive in complete darkness, feed on rocks and minerals, and thrive where few other organisms can.
These underground life forms, researchers say, could one day help develop new medicines, clean polluted environments, and even support future space missions.
The possibility is explored in a recent review published in the Geomicrobiology Journal, which examined fungal diversity across Indian caves. The study found that despite India being home to more than 1,500 known cave systems, much of its underground microbial life remains largely unexplored.
The review, Geomycology of Indian Caves: Diversity, Ecology and Biotechnological Potential, was authored by Dr Sujata Dabolkar, Assistant Professor in the Department of Botany at Government College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Quepem, Goa.
1,500 caves, countless unknowns
Caves are among the most challenging environments on Earth.
Unlike forests or grasslands, they receive little to no sunlight. Nutrients are scarce, temperatures remain relatively stable, and humidity levels stay high throughout the year.
Yet life persists.
Among the organisms that have adapted remarkably well to these conditions are fungi.
Researchers have documented fungal groups such as Aspergillus, Penicillium, Cladosporium, Trichoderma, and Fusarium in various Indian cave systems.
According to the review, these fungi actively interact with the rocks around them. By releasing organic acids and specialised enzymes, they break down minerals, recycle nutrients, and contribute to the formation of new mineral deposits.
In other words, these fungi are not merely surviving inside caves. In many ways, they are helping shape them.
From the limestone caves of Meghalaya and the Borra Caves in Andhra Pradesh to Chhattisgarh’s Kotumsar Cave, Goa’s lateritic caves, and the volcanic caves of the Deccan region, each underground system hosts its own microscopic ecosystem.
Scientists are turning their attention to an unexpected world beneath the country’s surface: microscopic fungi that survive in complete darkness, feed on rocks and minerals, and thrive where few other organisms can. Photograph: (Getty Images)
Scientists have identified more than 1,500 cave sites across India. Yet only a small fraction has been studied for the fungi and microbes they contain.
For researchers, that gap is exciting.
Organisms that survive with little food, no sunlight, and limited resources often develop unusual survival strategies. Those same adaptations could one day help scientists create new medicines, improve industrial processes, and develop innovative environmental solutions.
The drug hunt goes underground
The medical potential of cave fungi is particularly intriguing.
Around the world, doctors are facing a growing challenge as some bacteria become resistant to existing antibiotics, making infections harder to treat.
The fungi living inside India’s caves may offer valuable clues.
For thousands of years, these organisms have survived in isolated, resource-poor environments by developing chemical defences against competing microbes.
Researchers believe some of these compounds could help inspire the next generation of antibiotics and other medicines.
The review also notes that cave-derived fungi produce enzymes capable of functioning under conditions that would disable many ordinary biological systems, making them especially interesting for biotechnology research.
Could these fungi survive on Mars?
The possibilities may extend far beyond Earth.
Some cave fungi can survive long periods with very little food and adapt to extreme environments. In some cases, they can tolerate high levels of radiation and other stresses similar to conditions expected on Mars or icy moons such as Europa.
These qualities have attracted the attention of astrobiologists — scientists who study the possibility of life beyond Earth.
The discoveries waiting underground could have implications far above it, from new medicines and cleaner technologies to future journeys into deep space.
For now, India’s caves remain one of the country’s least explored scientific frontiers. Hidden within them may be tiny organisms capable of answering some very big questions.
