Deep-sea creature community discovered living in eternal darkness

Without the Sun, deep-sea trench creatures survive on chemical energy, revealing a new frontier for life on Earth.

Using the manned submarine Fendouzhe to descend into the Kuril-Kamchatka and Aleutian trenches in the Northwest Pacific , researchers mapped a trench nearly 2,500 km long and 5,791 - 9,530 m deep. Photo: Earth.com.

During this expedition, experts discovered a community of organisms that live on chemicals instead of sunlight or food. Photo: CAS (IDSSE, CAS).

"The blood-red tentacles bloomed like delicate flowers in the trench, an incredible defiance of the harsh darkness," said Dr. Mengran Du, head of the expedition. Photo: Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, CAS (IDSSE, CAS).

The hadal zone begins at a depth of about 5,800m below the surface and drops to nearly 10,900m. The pressure at this depth can instantly break a human bone. The environment here is characterized by eternal darkness, extremely low temperatures and intense geological activity, making it seemingly inhospitable to life. Photo: Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, CAS (IDSSE, CAS).

Sharing about the newly discovered chemical-living community, the research team said that the organisms live by chemosynthesis, which means using energy from chemical reactions, specifically from hydrogen sulfide and methane leaking from the sea floor, to survive and develop. Thanks to that, they are completely independent of light or food from the upper water layer. Photo: Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, CAS (IDSSE, CAS).

Scientists further explain that chemosynthesis is the process by which organisms produce energy from chemical reactions, without the need for light. This process is often seen at hydrothermal vents on the seafloor or where toxic gases such as methane and hydrogen sulfide leak. Photo: Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, CAS (IDSSE, CAS).

The main new creatures discovered during the expedition included tubeworms measuring 20-30cm long, red, white or grey in colour, and white clams measuring up to 23cm long. Some of the creatures may have never been recorded by science before. Photo: oceanographicmagazine.com.

In addition to the chemical-based organisms, the team also recorded the existence of several other species including sea anemones, spoon worms and sea cucumbers that live by consuming dead organisms and organic matter that falls from above. Photo: IDSSE.

The new discovery has led scientists to believe that there may be many unknown marine species living in deeper waters. Photo: IDSSE.

Readers are invited to watch the video : Discovering many new species in the Mekong River Region. Source: THĐT1.

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