All articles tagged with #chemosynthesis
Scientists propose that radioactive elements seeping from Europa's rocks into its subsurface ocean could generate enough energy to support microbial life, offering an alternative to internal heat as a source of habitability. The upcoming NASA Europa Clipper mission may test this theory, which is inspired by Earth's chemosynthetic ecosystems.
Researchers from the Schmidt Ocean Institute discovered a hidden network of underwater caves off the Eastern Pacific, home to giant tube worms that survive through chemosynthesis, revealing a new, stable environment that could harbor more undiscovered marine life in extreme conditions.
Scientists exploring the depths of the ocean discovered a vast, previously unknown ecosystem in the hadal zone, where microbes convert methane into energy, supporting diverse life forms in extreme, sunless conditions, and revealing the significant role these trenches play in the global carbon cycle.
Scientists exploring the hadal zone between Russia and Alaska discovered a vast, previously unknown deep-sea ecosystem fueled by methane and chemosynthetic life, revealing new insights into the role of trenches in the global carbon cycle and the resilience of life in extreme environments.
A Chinese-led team using a deep-sea submersible discovered a thriving ecosystem at 30,000 feet below the Pacific Ocean surface, featuring worms, clams, microbial mats, and other life forms that survive through chemosynthesis, challenging previous assumptions about life at extreme depths.
Scientists have discovered the deepest and most extensive complex ecosystem at 9,000 meters below the sea in the hadal trenches, where life thrives on chemosynthesis using hydrogen sulfide and methane, challenging previous assumptions about the limits of deep-sea ecosystems.
Scientists have recorded the deepest fish ever on camera, a snailfish swimming at a depth of 8,336m in the Izu-Ogasawara trench, south-east of Japan. The hadal zone, which extends from 6 to 11km, is a forbidding place, characterised by complete darkness, crushing pressure and near-freezing temperatures. Marine animals living in the hadal zone have adapted on a cellular level to enable them to withstand the oppressive conditions, including high concentrations of organic molecules called piezolytes, which stop their cellular membranes and proteins from being crushed under extremely high pressure.