Table of Contents

FOREWORD ix ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xiii ABBREVIATIONS xv INTRODUCTION 1 1 Triassic Park 12 2 The Treasure of Cerro Negro 56 3 Bikers, Bombs, and the Death-o-Meter 103 4 Microbes in Meteorites! 126 5 Life in Deepest, Darkest Africa 143 6 Hunting for Water and Carbon 172 7 The Subterranauts 198 8 A Lot of Breaks and One Lucky Strike 234 9 Life beneath the Ice 265 10 The Worm from Hell 333 EPILOGUE 357 APPENDIX A: Chronology of the Exploration of Subsurface Life 365 APPENDIX B: Chronology of the Meeting of the U.S. DOE's SSP Meetings 377 NOTES 381 REFERENCES 463 INDEX 473

About the Author

Tullis C. Onstott is professor of geosciences at Princeton University. He lives in Stockton, New Jersey.

Reviews

"Onstott so beautifully conveys his excitement that laypeople and scientists alike will find [Deep Life] a worthwhile read."--Publishers Weekly "Deep Life tackles one of the most mysterious, sexiest questions in science today: Is there life beyond Earth? ... Onstott's argument is both profound--we can't understand life on other planets without understanding life on our own--and surprising, pleasing any amateur extraterrestrial beep hunter."--Sarah Sloat, Inverse "Extreme environments beneath Earth's surface could well be the crucible where life was forged, and studying the weird creatures that live in such locales could well shed light on how life could endure in Mars' deep crust or Europa's hidden ocean. Geoscientist Tullis C. Onstott brings you along on the hunt."--Alan Boyle, GeekWire "Life can thrive in the most inhospitable places. And finding out just how inhospitable has been the life's work of Tullis Onstott... While rooted in the earth, the study may also help in the quest to find life in the solar system and beyond. This amazing journey takes us from deep in a South African gold mine, to the ancient seabed below a desert floor to travel deep beneath the frozen Arctic tundra."--Cosmos Magazine