Bacteria & Viruses may be the strangest mystic creatures. As we learn more about the earth and its amazing variety of life, it becomes more and more apparent that bacteria are everywhere. Caves underground for millions of years contain large, nearly dormant populations of bacteria. These life forms are so different from what we're used to that many of them are hard to study because they are poisoned by what we consider a 'normal' environment. They are even classified as a separate kingdom. This isn't just another branch of life, it's a whole tree of which we have been unaware. The hills are truly alive. Subterranean caves show strong evidence that they actually form in thousands of years, not millions, due to the activity of bacteria. These creatures thrive in an environment with very little oxygen, extreme levels of carbon dioxide, and horrendous amounts of sulfuric acid and other nasty chemicals. Most mineral deposits (including gold and uranium) will show evidence of bacteria. Apparently there are species which will plate themselves with these metals as a defense mechanism. When they die, the shells sink and collect in deposits which we can then mine. This is truly fascinating.