Weighing the planet’s biological matter

Our planet is teeming with life: Even in the most extreme places, like the scorching deserts and the pitch-black ocean depths, living organisms can be found. But just how much living matter is on this planet? A new study now makes the first global estimates of the total weight, or biomass, of life on Earth. The research is a collaboration between Yinon Bar-On and Ron Milo of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and Rob Phillips of Caltech.