Atacama surprise: The world’s driest desert is teeming with hidden life

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Even in the world’s driest desert, tiny worms are proving that life finds remarkable ways to endure. Even in the ultra-dry Atacama Desert, tiny soil-dwelling nematodes are thriving in surprising diversity. Credit: Shutterstock New research reveals that life beneath the surface of one of the driest places on Earth is far more resilient and diverse than many scientists expected. An international team led by the University of Cologne studied tiny soil worms known as nematodes in Chile's Atacama Desert. Often compared to polar deserts, the Atacama is considered one of the most arid regions in the world. With almost no rainfall, high salt levels in the soil, and dramatic temperature swings, it ranks among the planet's most extreme environments. Despite these punishing conditions, researchers found thriving communities of nematodes. Specialists in zoology, ecology, and botany worked together to uncover how different species manage to survive there. Their findings, published in Nature Communications under the title "Geographic distribution of nematodes in the Atacama i
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