Such “weird life” would never have been identified by scientists because the techniques they use for studying microbes are based on the familiar biological processes that drive the living things we understand, Professor Davies told the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in Chicago.
Where would this weird life live? Microscopists have subjected almost every nook and cranny of Earth's surface to close examination. Unless this weird life is invisible to microscopes, I don't see how it could have been overlooked.
Unless this weird life is invisible to microscopes, I don't see how it could have been overlooked.
In 2007 alone, 700+- new species were discovered...so I think there's still room for some surprises.
"Scientists announced in the journal Nature this May that they had discovered 700 new species of organisms — including carnivorous sponges and giant sea spiders — some 2,300 ft. to 19,700 ft. (700 m to 6,000 m) down in the Weddell Sea off Antarctica. Scientists also reported the identification of 24 new species in an isolated area of Suriname, where the exploration for bauxite, which is used to make aluminum, led to the discovery of 12 dung beetles, an ant species, six species of fish and five new frogs, including one with fluorescent purple markings. Other fauna finds include a legless amphibian near Goa, India; 11 new species of plants and animals in central Vietnam's tropical "green" corridor; a new monkey in Uganda; a sucker-footed bat in Madagascar; a clouded leopard in Sumatra and Borneo, and a sea cucumber off the coast of Taiwan, nicknamed "Little Strawberry.""