A veteran caver who routinely explores the inner reaches of the earth offers readers a glimpse into this dark world where microbes that live without sunlight and typical food sources may change our views on evolution. The microbes that caver Michael Ray Taylor calls "dark life" are found deep in the earth, in boiling oceanic vents, Antarctic ice, and lots of other places far from the reach of the sun's energy. These "extremophiles" are energy opportunists, subsisting on chemicals, radioactivity, or the faint light of molten rock. The study of these organisms is quite new, and scientists are learning that examining them may provide hints about the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Dark Life is a first-person tour of the places Taylor has looked for archaebacteria and other strange microorganisms--Lechuguilla Cave in New Mexico, the hot springs of Viterbo in central Italy, NASA laboratories, and the halls of academia. Taylor met with passionate scientists searching for answers about how things can live deep in the earth and if they can survive in the unimaginable cold of outer space while hitchhiking on meteors. Dark Life chronicles the triumphs and disappointments of this new field of science with engaging and personal stories. The steady but frustrating progress of science is never more apparent than in the passages relating to the rise and fall of ALH84001. The potato-sized meteorite from Mars (and the scientists who analyzed it) enjoyed brief but frenzied attention when it was announced that microscopic forms in the rock may have indicated the presence of nanobacteria. But if you're expecting resolution to this question in Dark Life , be warned: to Taylor, it's the journey that's most exciting. --Therese Littleton YA-Taylor first heard of "dark life" from scientists searching for it in the pristine environment of a newly discovered cave system. Nanobacteria had been unknown until very recently, when advances in electron microscopy finally revealed them to astonished human eyes; now, many of the hidden places of the earth, previously thought to be "sterile," were seen to be teeming with strange and diverse creatures. Taylor crossed the line from journalist-observer to participant-advocate, joining the quest for these new "bugs" and the secrets they might reveal about the nature of life. The story is compelling not just for the fascinating nature of the discoveries made, but also for the insider's view it offers of science as a working community. One likable young scientist, Anne Taunton, stands out among the many colorful players in this drama and makes the story particularly accessible to teens, as Taylor follows her career from high school graduation and on through college. As an undergraduate NASA intern, Taunton found herself at the center of the "Mars life" controversy. She gained new friends and mentors, faced strong personal and professional challenges with grace, and joined Taylor in making a significant discovery. At heart, a celebration of life-human, as well as theoretical-this book will appeal strongly to teens. Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. Taylor, an experienced caver and author of Cave Passages (LJ 5/1/96), demonstrates a knowledge and respect for this environment as he presents the ten-year odyssey that introduced him to the biology of extreme environments: caves, deep drills into the earth, volcanoes, even the surface of Mars. Taylor focuses primarily on caves, but the parallels with possible life in extreme and extraterrestrial environments are interesting. Taylor maintains that the microbes found deep in the earth are a form of life, a "dark life" that possibly demonstrates the very origin of life, but he includes the opposite view and the option that there just isn't enough information yet for proof. His prose style is easy to read and episodic, like a series of articles. Taylor is not a biologist, but he makes the biology understandable. He includes both suggested readings and web sites for further information. Recommended for larger public libraries or specialized natural history collections.AJean E. Crampon, Science & Engineering Lib., Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. In an account that is half cave adventure, half science venture, intrepid journalist Taylor tells what it's like to collect bacteria samples in the deep and dark and what happens later when experts battle over what the depths reveal. The bacteria, called ``archaea,'' are bugs that can live in virtual darkness, in steamy ocean depths around volcanic vents, deriving energy not from oxygen but from sulfur, iron, and other minerals. They may just be the most abundant form of life on the planet. Where controversy abounds is on the existence of a subset of archaea, fetchingly called ``nanobacteria''putative itty- bitty bugs that, the pro-nanos claim, are responsible for all the wonderf