Science: “Communities” of strange, extreme life seen for first time in deep ocean

Source: BBC News [UK State Media]

“Beds of clams, mats of bacteria that look like ice and fields of tube worms – these are just some examples of the strange, extreme life that an expedition to the deepest parts of the ocean has observed, filmed and photographed. Diving in a human-occupied submersible to ocean trenches in the northwest Pacific Ocean, a Chinese-led research team captured pictures of life at depths of more than 9km (5.6miles). The deepest marine vertebrate life filmed before this expedition was at 8,336m — a snailfish that was filmed swimming in a deep ocean trench off the coast of Japan in 2023. These new observations are published in the journal Nature.” (07/31/25)

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3wnqe5j99do