jtotheizzoe:

“Life, uh, finds a way” - Dr. Ian Malcolm, NOT talking about the new “Ghost World” discovered beneath Antarctica

We’ve been combing through extreme environments on this planet for hundreds of years, from mountain tops to deep within the Earth, and nearly everywhere we’ve looked for life … we’ve found it. A group of folks in extremely thick jackets have now uncovered a new extreme home under the sea ice in Antarctica, surrounding deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Let’s peer in and check out the amazingness, shall we?

These Oxford folks weren’t crazy enough to actually dive in the water. They sent down a remote sub to an active tectonic region called East Scotia Ridge (which means “East Scotland Ridge”, naturally, since it’s in Antarctica) to do their work for them. Surrounding deep vents of sulfur-rich, super-hot mineral-laden water jets, they found a whole mess of new species, some of which are pictured above. They include ghost octopus, yeti crabs (which create a creepy carpet of crustacean chaos), stalked barnacles, and new anemones.

The whole system exists of an independent food chain starting with unique sulfur-digesting bacteria, and stretches up to the crabs, octopi, and predatory starfish in the area. It’s an exotic and inspiring reminder that a mess of Brits in furry parkas can do amazing things with remote controlled robots.

No wait, I got that last part wrong. I meant that it’s an exotic and inspiring reminder that the ingredients for life can be found in even the most ruthless conditions, and the beauty of evolution lies in its power to adapt to them.

(via EarthSky, images via NERC ChEsSo Consortium)