Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas · Sean Carroll

Karen Lloyd on the Deep Underground Biosphere

May 12, 2025·1 hr 9 min·5 clips

Karen Lloyd explains how deep underground microbes could be the longest-lived organisms, surviving for thousands of years.

Sean Carroll interviews microbial biogeochemist Karen Lloyd about the deep underground biosphere, where billions of microbial species thrive kilometers below Earth's surface. They discuss discoveries like Asgard Archaeota, a missing link in evolution, how these microbes live for millennia, and implications for the origin of life and searching for life on other planets like Mars and Europa.

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