Background：

Life persists and thrives in the subsurface of the Earth, in the complete absence of surface light energy. More than 50 years of investigations of this “deep biosphere” have revolutionized our understanding of Earth’s deepest ecosystems and biogeochemical elemental cycles, as well as the origin of life and its co-evolution with the environment. Still, large research gaps remain, e.g. what are the strategies for long-term survival of deep life on geological time scales? What are the fundamental mechanisms of the functioning of deep life and its evolution in low-energy subsurface environments? All these questions remain further investigation and exploration.

Special Issue Editor：

Fengping Wang

Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Karen Lloyd

The University of Tennessee, USA

James Bradley

Queen Mary University of London, UK

The main topics include but not limited to：

• Life in both terrestrial and oceanic subsurface environments

• Geochemical activities of deep life

• The origin and evolution of deep life

• New analytical techniques, that bridge various time scales and enhance exploration of deep-biosphere frontiers.

The article types include but not limited to:

• Original Research

• Method Articles

• Reviews

• Perspectives

• News and Views

• Correspondence

Important date：

Submission deadline: April 30, 2023

Submit your manuscript now at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/mlife