Seafloor Drilling Expedition Finds Deepest Life Yet Discovered
Bacteria Thriving on Undersea Volcanoes Bacteria that thrive in harsh undersea conditions - like these hardy bugs that live around the Loihi Seamount in the volcanically active neighborhood around Hawaii - have cousins that researchers have discovered flourishing far deeper within the Earth's crust. NOAA The "life is persistent" argument is often used to bolster the idea that life exists elsewhere in the universe. While that remains to be seen, the notion certainly keeps proving true here on the home planet. Scientists have found life thriving in near superheated ocean vents, in inhospitable parts of Antarctica, and in the depths of subterranean oil reservoirs. Now, a drilling expedition to the deepest layer of the Earth's crust has found life there as well, and the evidence suggests there could be more life even deeper. The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program - an international expedition that explores, samples, and analyzes the subseafloor - was drilling...