Scientists discover deepest ecosystem on Earth
Scientists just found bustling communities of tube worms and mollusks nearly 10,000 meters down in the northwest Pacific trenches—making these the deepest chemosynthetic ecosystems ever discovered.
Instead of sunlight, life here runs on microbes that turn chemicals like methane into energy.
This find pushes our ideas about where life can survive.
Ecosystem relies on special microbes
Down here, it's pitch dark and the pressure is intense—over 1,000 times what we feel at sea level.
But special microbes use chemicals from seafloor vents to fuel a whole food web, letting tube worms and mollusks thrive even in freezing temps.
Submersible dives into the trench
China's Fendouzhe submersible made it possible, diving over 9,449 meters deep to capture images and samples from these hidden habitats.
Research published in Nature
Published in Nature, this research shows life can adapt to wild extremes—and could inspire new ideas for science and tech.
It also leaves us with big questions about how these creatures evolved to handle such a harsh world.