[js1138]

I'm extremely interested in what the DNA of the bacteria that live under the earth's surface will reveal. It's not virgin DNA from the early Earth (that's all gone, I think), but it represents a completely independent evolutionary tree.

Are you sure about the independent tree. That would be news to me.

[ThinkPlease]

Are you sure about the independent tree. That would be news to me.

Lemme rephrase. Independent since at least the time it was buried. I don't have the numbers in front of me, so I don't know if anyone has estimated a time of divergence, but having something that's been isolated for even several tens of millions of years is of scientific interest, I think.