OK, in the 1950's, they'd have made a Sci-Fi flick out of this, but NASA announced today that they have discovered what has been termed a new form of life, an "extremophile" bacteria. I don't fully understand all of the science behind it (I was awful at science, really I was).
Still it's an interesting read.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11886943
Just a snippet from the article:
John Elliott, a Leeds Metropolitan University researcher who is a veteran of the UK's search for extraterestrial life, called the find a "major discovery"
"It starts to show life can survive outside the traditional truths and universals that we thought you have to use... this is knocking one brick out of that wall," he said.