[Editor's note: The Archaea are extremophiles and other unusual microbes that are so different from bacteria that Carl Woese of the University of Illinois assigned them their own domain on the ...

These microorganisms, already known for their astonishing resistance to the vacuum of space, ionizing radiation, and ...

archaea, and other "extremophiles" capable of withstanding severe conditions. To help us find those tiny organisms, scientists are turning to those under Earth's surface for a little guidance.

Since the late 1980s, all life forms have been split into three groups on the phylogenetic tree of life: bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes. Eukaryotes and archaea have long been considered “sister ...