The Heat Is On: Search Begins for 'Alien' Life Beneath Earth

The public can also take part in an online contest to guess the hottest temperature at which life can exist. On Sept. 12, scientists are heading out for a 60-day quest aboard the state-of-the-art Japanese drilling vessel Chikyu to the Nankai Trough, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) off the coast of Japan. The ocean is about 2.9 miles (4.7 km) deep there, and the expedition will drill down 0.75 miles (1.2 km) beneath the seafloor to collect samples.