Comments on: Meet Mephisto, the worm that rules the underworld

By: OrchidGrowinMan

OrchidGrowinMan — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 20:25:34 +0000

Adam F,

Plants without chlorophyll used to be called “saprophytes”; I would not be surprized to see non-autotroph organisms descended from/related to photosynthetic algae. In fact that’s apparently the case with Malaria: it has been found that some herbicides, including glyphosate, are bad for Malaria organisms because they rely on enzyme systems similar to/identical with plants.

By: Mike Lemonick

Mike Lemonick — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:56:36 +0000

Per Tullis Onstott, Ed is right. The nematodes most likely migrated down through cracks in the rock

By: Yuejiao Wei

Yuejiao Wei — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 08:39:08 +0000

“The deep subsurface refers to anything deeper than 8 metres”
Is 8 meters too shallow?

By: Adam F

Adam F — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 18:49:12 +0000

These nematodes are pretty awesome, but another bit in your article caught my attention. Bacteria, I would expect anywhere. And where bacteria go viruses are sure to follow. Fungi are not too surprising, and as mentioned, if any animal lives down there you would expect it to be a nematode (well, that or a graboid). But what the crap are ALGAE doing 200m below the surface? There can’t be any light at all down there for them.

By: Newlande

Newlande — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 16:48:15 +0000

Ok Ive worked with these people and the research was done in my dept. So I can partly answer the question. As far as I know Gaetan, Esta and co did not look into how the nematodes got there. Its a bit of a philosphical question at the moment. When Gaetan did this research he was simply interested in looking for new life emphasis nemtodes because thats his speciality, in extreme ennvironments.

I am speaking under correction of course, but could always ask them.

By: Ed Yong

Ed Yong — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:27:12 +0000

That’s not covered in the paper, and one of the external commenters I contacted said it wasn’t clear either way. Digging isn’t necessary – you’re thinking at human-scale. At nematode-scale, the soil is peppered with cracks and fissures. They could’ve just slipped through.

By: Saint Aardvark the Carpeted

Saint Aardvark the Carpeted — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:21:25 +0000

Cool article! Any idea how the nematodes got there in the first place? You mention carbon-dating the water and finding it to be isolated from the surface for 3000+ years…does that mean these worms would have been buried by previous geological activity?

(I know, the alternative is that they dug their way down, which sounds ridiculous when I say it…but hey, if they’re that tough….)

By: Letraix

Letraix — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 09:51:23 +0000

FYI, Tau Tona’s neighbour, Mponeng mine, is now the deepest in the world, and will remain so for the forseeable future.

By: Robert S-R

Robert S-R — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 05:24:15 +0000

30,000 years? Then what? Geologically, that isn’t much time. Will the bacteria they feed on die out?

Edit: Er, sorry. Did you mean 1 trillion bacteria can feed 1 nematode for 30,000 years? If so, disregard what I said before.

By: Steve Morrison

Steve Morrison — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 01:29:58 +0000

Far, far below the deepest delving of the Dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things. Even Sauron knows them not. They are older than he. Now I have walked there, but I will bring no report to darken the light of day.

—Gandalf

Now, at last, we know what he was talking about…