Extreme extremophiles: ecosystem beneath ocean floor (Introduction)

by David Turell , Wednesday, August 09, 2023, 15:28 (262 days ago) @ David Turell

Using a trap system:

https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-find-a-whole-new-ecosystem-hiding-beneath-earth...

"Underneath the seafloor of this well-studied site, the international team of researchers found veins of subsurface fluids swimming with life that has never been seen before.

"It's a whole new world we didn't know existed.

"'On land we have long known of animals living in cavities underground, and in the ocean of animals living in sand and mud, but for the first time, scientists have looked for animals beneath hydrothermal vents," says the institute's executive director, Jyotika Virmani.

"'This truly remarkable discovery of a new ecosystem, hidden beneath another ecosystem, provides fresh evidence that life exists in incredible places."

***

"Stripping back the seafloor's shell has now revealed a colorful ecosystem of worms, snails, and chemosynthetic bacteria, which don't rely on sunlight but on minerals for energy.

***

"'Two dynamic vent habitats exist. Vent animals above and below the surface thrive together in unison, depending on vent fluid from below and oxygen in the seawater from above."

***

"...researchers used a remotely operated vehicle, called SuBastian, to clear a square of ocean floor on the East Pacific Rise off Central America, roughly 2,500 meters deep. The team then glued a mesh box over the top of this now lifeless site.

"When they removed the box a few days later, researchers found new animals had colonized the area. They must have arrived there from beneath the seafloor's many cracks and fissures.

***

"'The discoveries made on each Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition reinforce the urgency of fully exploring our ocean so we know what exists in the deep sea," says Wendy Schmidt, president and co-founder of the Schmidt Ocean Institute.

"'The discovery of new creatures, landscapes, and now, an entirely new ecosystem underscores just how much we have yet to discover about our Ocean–and how important it is to protect what we don't yet know or understand.'"

Comment: more evidence li fe can appear anywhere on Earth. I view God built an incubator.