Yet somehow, scientists have found microscopic creatures dwelling in the eternal darkness. NASA planetary scientists are eager to review the findings. Dripping stalactites protrude from the cave's ceiling, reaching out like great tentacles. The silence is as deep as the darkness. The cave got its name from the thousands of daddy longlegs spiders that once inhabited its entrance.
Caves are isolated ecosystems low in organic nutrients.
Scientists think life might be able support itself on a planet like Mars by feeding on underground chemicals, similar to the way bacteria in the Spider Cave survive, said Penelope Boston, part of a team of University of New Mexico researchers who have been studying the cave for four years. A marked trail keeps cavers from getting lost inside the bewildering maze. The search for microscopic organisms may not have the appeal of the search for intelligent life, but NASA's McKay said it's just as important. It's the first step to more complicated life. Copyright 1999 The Associated Press .