So called "worms from hell" may help unlock answers to the question about whether or not it's possible for life to exist on other worlds. Nobody's saying that these worms were brought here be extraterrestrials of course. Round worms called Nematodes were found about a mile underground in South African gold mines. Nematodes are very resilient creatures, being found in all kinds of habitats: polar, desert, along the ocean floor, in fresh water...
While it's not surprising to find worms underground, before now nobody thought that complex/multi-cellular life forms could exist in the harsh conditions that you would find so deep underground. That's where the tie-in to life on other planets comes in according to author Marc Kaufman. After all, if they can exist in such varied and harsh environments here on Earth, why not on other worlds?
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