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News Release 11-221
From Tropics to Poles: Study Reveals Diversity of Life in Soils
New species discovered across the globe
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![creatures that live in belowground soils](/news/mmg/media/images/life_soils1_f.jpg)
Down the rabbit hole: a new world of creatures awaits beneath the surface.
Credit: Diana Wall, Colorado State University
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Microbiologist and NSF program director Matt Kane talks about the life on a microbial planet: Earth. Most of the biodiversity on our planet is microscopic, and lives in soil.
Credit: National Science Foundation
Looking underground is like peering through the looking glass in Lewis Carroll's story Alice in Wonderland, says Diana Wall, a soil biologist at Colorado State University. Life in soil abounds, and we're just beginning to discover its extent.
Credit: National Science Foundation
![Scanning electron microscopy image of a creature that lives in belowground soils.](/news/mmg/media/images/life_soils2_f.jpg)
What lives in belowground soils: some surprises, scientists have discovered.
Credit: Valerie Behan-Pelletier, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
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![Scanning electron microscopy image of a small creature that inhabits belowground soils.](/news/mmg/media/images/life_soils3_f.jpg)
This creature is small in actual size, but large if you're an inhabitant of the world of soils.
Credit: Valerie Behan-Pelletier, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
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![Photo of Ed Ayres and Diana Wall measuring indicators of soil biological activity in Kenya.](/news/mmg/media/images/life_soils4_f.jpg)
Scientists Ed Ayres and Diana Wall measure indicators of soil biological activity in Kenya.
Credit: Diana Wall, Colorado State University
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