Extremophiles
I am surprised that the article did not mention extremophiles. These are usually bacteria that thrive in very hostile environments, extreme heat or extreme PH levels are some of those environments. There are weird life forms that thrive near volcanic vents in the ocean, some forms are familier like crabs and shrimps but others are very different.
The science of exobiology is in the infant stage as we have not found conclusive forms of non terran life forms. The extremophiles are good for study to form a base for exobiology. The sea vent life forms get their energy from the super heated water and not from the sun; exobiology life could get energy from other sources and not need to be in the "Goldilocks" area near a star to live.
Life on Earth has restarted several times with a few major extinction events. Not all life is wiped out but many dominate forms are lost. It is possible that we may find most exobiology life to be stuck at a low level for different reasons and the complex development for self conscious and intelligent life may be rare for similar reasons. There is a lot to learn from our planet to help us find life elsewhere.
