A group of scientists have discovered life beneath the seafloor of the deep ocean which proves that life finds a way even in the most extreme conditions.
The finding provides a fascinating peek at what life might look like beyond earth, but it also makes it more difficult for scientists to grasp the living communities surrounding hydrothermal vents in the deep oceans.
Although scientists were aware that life existed in and near the hydrothermal vents, it was unclear if organisms used the sediments beneath the kilometers of seawater.
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One of the scientists disclosed that the discovery shows that animal life in the ocean is not restricted to what we see on the seafloor surface but that animal life extends into the shallow ocean’s crust.
“Our discovery shows us that animal life in the ocean is not restricted to what we see on the seafloor surface, but that animal life extends into the shallow ocean’s crust,” said study co-author Sabine Gollner, a researcher at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, in an email to Gizmodo.
“The extent of the subseafloor cavities—horizontally and how deep they reach—is not known yet,” Gollner added. “The subseafloor habitat could be also very important for the succession at hydrothermal vents, as the seafloor and subseafloor habitats are connected.”
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