Bacteria (prokaryotes) are found everywhere and are a critical foundation of the earth's ecosystem. The prokaryotes are designed to be saprotrophs or "decomposers," breaking down wastes and organic material so that chemical components such as nitrogen can be recycled.

Surtsey is an island volcanically formed just 45 years ago off the coast of Iceland. Science Illustrated has highlighted this unique island in its May/June 2008 issue. “Surtsey always provides surprises,” remarked one of the life scientists who study it. “We discover about 20 new species each year.”

The Genesis Factor
edited by Ron J. Bigalke, Jr.
(Master Books, 2008, 254 pages)

The British science journal Nature has reported that scientists have discovered remains in a cave in northeastern Spain that are now considered “the earliest known remains of a human in Europe.”