The mine is filled with giant gypsum crystals which look so extraordinary that when Dr Boston first saw a picture, she assumed it had was a Photoshop hoax.

But more astounding, was that inside the crystals, tiny bugs were discovered in a state of 'geolatency' - where living organisms remain viable in geological materials for long periods of time.

"Much to my surprise we got things to grow," said Dr Boston. "It was laborious. We lost some of them - that's just the game. They've got needs we can't fulfill. That part of it was really like zoo keeping."