Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorous and various trace elements. The article went on to explain that igneous rock held bacteria that synthesized organic material from there inorganic surroundings. In order for a lay person to understand the process that this article talks about they would have to have some understanding of the scientific process and the basic needs for cell growth and function. The article is better understood if you have some knowledge regarding the basic needs for cell growth. Most living organisms derive there energy from the first level of the food chain, primary producers.
Primary producers derive there energy from the sun through a process called photosynthesis.
The microorganisms that are buried deep below the earth's surface have no available sunlight to gain energy from. So they must derive their energy from the chemical reactions that convert inorganic compounds into organic compounds, called oxidation. The process that these microbes a performing to maintain life at such depths is the same process that many other microbes around us do everyday, their resources however are much more limited. It was a very interesting article about the process of cloning. The donor cells, with their complete nucleus are then placed in the unfertilized egg.