The current issue of Nature features an article in which two researchers claim to have found worms one mile under the surface of the earth.They made their discovery while conducting exploratory experiments in a South African mine. One of the more amazing aspects of their research is that they conducted it so far beneath our collective feet. It makes one marvel at the engineering that can create safe conditions, with fresh air and light, so far from the earth's surface.
One also wonders how the pair of scientists set about discovering these multicellular creatures, called nematodes, whose existence in these extreme conditions had been the subject of speculation only a relatively short time ago.
The significance of the discovery was succinctly stated by Gaetan Borgonie (photo), one of the researchers. "It doesn't happen often," the Belgian nematologist said, "that you can redraw the boundaries of a biosphere on a planet."
