This type of ciliated single cell, a trachelostyla, is one of a mind-boggling 'nonillion' - or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (30 zeroes) - individual microbial cells in the oceans, weighing as much as 240 billion African elephants, the biggest animal on land.

Tiny life was found everywhere, including at thermal vents with temperatures at 150C (300F) or in rocks 1,626 metres (5,335 ft) below the sea floor.

Photo credit: CoML