Life in the ocean has just surprised again. Chinese scientists recently recorded impressive images of rare life forms about 9 km deep.
The mission, led by the Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering (IDse) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, explored remote areas of the Northwest Pacific Ocean aboard the submersible Fendouzhe – capable of operating at about 10 km deep.
How did the researchers find life in the depths of the ocean?
Over 24 dives, between July 8 and August 17, 2024, the team ran over 2,500 km, exploring trenches at depths ranging from 5.8 to 9.5 km. All for the search for Answers about the limits of life on our planet.
The observations yielded an article in magazine Naturepublished on July 30. Although it was already accepted among marine scientists that there would be life at the bottom of the oceans, the researchers said that the abundance of animals they saw through the submersible windows was “surprising.” What they found went beyond any expectation.
High definition cameras revealed integer fields covered by tubular worms, mollusks, bacteria rugs and even vertebrates Living in full activity in an environment that, for human standards, would be completely inhospitable.
How is life in the depths of the ocean?
These new species live in the deep ocean, In the absolute dark, at temperatures close to freezing and under pressure that can crush most known life forms. Still, they adapted to survive and thrive in one of the most extreme places of the earth.
In the total absence of sunlight, the energy that supports this oceanic biodiversity does not come from photosynthesis, but Process called chemosynthesis – in which organisms convert chemical compounds such as methane and hydrogen sulfide, released by cracks in the oceanic crust.
This biological strategy allows mollusks, worms and bacteria to form complex and dense communities, many of which had never been documented.
Species like the Macellicephaloides Granticirraraa thorny white creature appears in dense colonies between the tubular worms that can reach up to 30 centimeters in length.
In future studies, scientists hope to find out how the bodies of these chemosynthetic creatures – that is, moved to chemicals – convert these compounds into energy.
“They should also have some ‘tricks’ in their organisms and metabolisms to adapt so well to life at very high pressure,” says Mengran Du, co -author of the article, to the magazine New Scientist. “This is another very interesting question that we need to answer in the continuity of our study.”
Record: No one had first found life in such deep waters
The extreme depth makes this discovery even more impressive. Until recently, The record of observing life in great depths belonged to a Caracol fish-registered at 8,336 meters. Now the records reach 9 km deep. Thus new discoveries of the deep ocean put an old checker on the boundaries of life.
For scientists, the fact suggests that these ecosystems can be more common and complex than imagined, paving the way for the review of ecological and geobiological models.
“It’s exciting to go to a place that humans haven’t explored yet. It’s a great opportunity to discover new things, and what we saw was amazing,” tells Xiaotong Peng, one of the project’s authors to BBC News.
The technology involved in this advance is noteworthy. The submersible Fendouzhe was essential to reach the ocean abyss, allowing the team to remain in continuous operation for several hours at extreme depths.
Equipped with high precision sensors, robotic arms and high -resolution imaging systems, The vehicle is an example of the most advanced in the current oceanographic research.
What does this discovery mean to the possibility of life outside the earth?
In addition to revealing secrets about life 9 km deep, the expedition opens doors for reflections that go far beyond our planet.
Environments such as this, without sunlight, under overwhelming pressure and with chemical sources as the only form of energy, are considered analogous to the conditions of distant worlds, such as the cold Europe (Jupiter) and Encelary (Saturn) moons.
For astrobiology, which investigates the possibility of life outside the earth, The deep ocean acts as a natural laboratory to test hypotheses. This is because both Europe and Encella have evidence of vast hidden oceans under their ice crusts.
An experiment from Nasa It indicates that if these extraterrestrial seas can house life, their organic molecules produced by organisms could persist just below ice, even facing intense cosmic radiation.
For the researchers involved, the experience of exploring the ocean abyss goes far beyond science: It is also a deep encounter with the beauty and resistance of life in extreme conditions.
Mengran du, described the feeling of being in the face of this scenario as something inspiring.
“Some people may find the idea of descending so extreme and dark depths, but I always encourage my students to look out the window to the bottom of the sea,” says Du. “Your resilience and beauty have made me impressed. Blind-red tentacles opening like delicate flowers in the trench, an impressive challenge to the rough and overwhelming darkness.”
Even with all revelations, the oceanic abyss remains one of the greatest unexplored boundaries of science. Only 0.001% of the deep ocean was visually documentedaccording to a study published in the magazine Science Advances pela Ocean Discovery League.
The recent discovery of other deep ocean lives is not just a scientific victory, but a reminder that, despite centuries of exploitation, planet Earth still holds secrets under its deepest waters.
