Critters, critters, everywhere POSTED 29 Aug 1996 The discovery of traces of single-celled organisms in a meteorite from Mars reminds us that life can inhabit some pretty strange places. On Earth, life has recently been discovered on the ocean floor, in mile-deep rock, and in temperatures above the boiling point of water.

Let's start with the most amazing news of all -- the signs of life on Mars 3.6 billion years ago. Thirty years ago, nobody believed life could survive near the boiling point of water. Then a microbiologist began roaming the hot springs at Yellowstone National Park. Nice work if you can get it? The batteries on these squid don't ever go flat -- not with their clever survival strategy. Come to think of it, there are plenty of other peculiar things going down in the ocean.

Magnification of "fossils" in the Martian meteorite. Courtesy of NASA.

Here's a quick sampler. Meiofauna live between grains of sand, on the Greenland ice cap, and in the leaves of moss: phenomenally diverse -- and astonishing. I hate to mention pure science, but the treasure-trove of newly found bugs n' stuff is giving us a new view of the biosphere. Want to know the rotten truth? Genetically speaking, people and fungi are close relatives. These humanoids emerged from their bizarre habitat to discuss strange critters.

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