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........

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