Redefining "life"

Scientists in California just found some teeny, teeny, tiny microbes. And by teeny, teeny tiny, I mean the size of a large virus. That's 1/5 the size of most bacteria, making them sub-microscopic. The article is here.

Studying these Archaea will probably shed light on the genetic and biochemical "bare necessities" for cell-based replicators, and thus on how life first started chain reacting.