wired.com: By Alexis Madrigal

Deep below the sea floor live massive colonies of primitive microbes. Almost like one-celled zombies, these microbes use so little energy that it might be more accurate to call them undead rather than alive.

Yet scientists think that the species might provide a model for life on other planets. Even on this planet, such microbes might account for a whopping 10 percent of the Earth’s biomass. [ read more ]