Every resource appears to have consumers.

Once considered a barren plain dotted with hydrothermal vents, the seafloor's rocky regions appear to be teeming with microbial life . . .

Surprised by this diversity, the scientists tested more than one site and arrived at consistent results, making it likely. . . that rich microbial life extends across the ocean floor.

Santelli and Edwards also found that the higher microbial diversity on ocean-bottom rocks compared favorably with other life-rich places in the oceans, such as hydrothermal vents.

These findings raise the question of where these bacteria find their energy, Santelli said.

"We scratched our heads about what was supporting this high level of growth," Edwards said.

With evidence that the oceanic crust supports more bacteria than overlying water, the scientists hypothesized that reactions with the rocks themselves might offer fuel for life.

In the lab, they calculated how much biomass could be supported by chemical reactions with the rocky basalt. They then compared this figure to the actual biomass measured. "It was completely consistent," Edwards said.

This discovery lends support to the idea that bacteria survive on energy from Earth's crust, a process that could add to our knowledge about the deep-sea carbon cycle and the evolution of life.

I'm ignorant enough to find this unsurprising.