‘Demon of Underworld’ Worm Found in Deep, Dark, Gold Mines

[KittyWampus]

‘Demon of Underworld’ Worm Found in Deep, Dark, Gold Mines, Nature Reports
By Carli Lourens - Jun 2, 2011 5:07 AM ET




Scientists found four species of roundworms in South African gold mines in the first discovery of multi-celled organisms in the deep, dark and hot areas, Nature reported, citing Tullis Onstott, a geo-microbiologist at Princeton University in New Jersey.

One of the worms, found 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) below the ground at Gold Fields Ltd. (GFI)’s Beatrix mine, was named Halicephalobus mephisto in reference to the light-hating “demon of the underworld,” the London-based journal said. The worms feed on bacteria that grow on rock walls in biofilms that resemble “snot layers of gelatinous goo,” it said.

Previously, only single-celled bacteria were thought to have existed at that depth, where temperatures can rise to as much as 37 degrees Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit), Nature said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-02/-demon-of-underworld-worm-found-in-deep-dark-gold-mines-nature-reports.html

Subterranean worms from hell

"It's like 1 million times the size of the bacteria it eats — sort of like finding Moby Dick in Lake Ontario," says Tullis Onstott, a geomicrobiologist at Princeton University in New Jersey and a co-author of the study, which is published today in Nature1.


http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110601/full/news.2011.342.html

[RandomThoughts]

1. Actually.

body temperature = 37 degrees Celsius

37 is my favorite number, it is the month + day of my birthday.

And has the fun idea of being 3 7s. And 3 * 37 * 7 = 777

And a few other things :)

[Orrex]

2. KILL IT!

KILL THEM ALL!

[Canuckistanian]

6. Nuke it from space

It's the only thing that works.

[patrice]

3. Frank Herbert got there before they did. nt

[MrScorpio]

4. OH JEEZ!

[patrice]

5. OMG! That's one of the corniest most disgusting movies ever (but don't ask me

how I know about it ;-) ) and I still like and respect you anyway, MrScorpio!

[Odin2005]

7. “snot layers of gelatinous goo" EWWW, that's a horrible image!

:puke:

[MilesColtrane]

8. Shai Hulud!