Deep-sea mining may wipe out species we have only just discovered

Deep sea hydrothermal vents harbor some of the most extraordinary species on our planet. Lying at two to three kilometers below the surface, these extreme, insular ecosystems are powered, not by the sunlight-driven photosynthesis ...

Living under pressure: Lessons from the cradle of life

Deep sea alkaline hydrothermal vents have been theorized to be a place where life could have originated. The elevated temperature, alkaline pH, and unique vent action concentrate minerals and create local energetic gradients ...

Deep-sea bacteria copy their neighbors' diet

In the deep sea, far away from the light of the sun, organisms use chemical energy to fix carbon. At hydrothermal vents—where hot, mineral-rich water gushes out of towering chimneys called black smokers—vibrant ecosystems ...

Origin of massive methane reservoir identified

New research from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) published Aug. 19, 2019, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science provides evidence of the formation and abundance of abiotic methane—methane formed ...

page 2 from 6