The one thing I am comfortable
with is that ample biological oxygen is available in the ‘Deep’. This has never been particularly obvious to
science because the mechanism remains unknown.
That it is becomes clear with the obvious mass of lifeforms there.
Is is the largest single biome
and it is the least observed. Here we
see technology to overcome that problem and provide remote eyeballs to see what
can be seen. Perhaps we will finally
capture a picture of a giant sea serpent soon.
I would love to see a full press
exploration push put on to fully describe the denizens of the Deep. There are still plenty of land surface biomes
whose mapping is incomplete but the real surprises there are far too difficult
to run down. A lot of luck is needed.
The Deep is a new frontier and
deserves the hunt. We probably still
will not run into a sea serpent unless it is curious.
Giant "Amoebas" Found in Deepest Place on Earth
Single-celled animals adapted to extreme ocean depths.
National Geographic engineers Eric Berkenpas (bottom) and Graham
Wilhelm prepare to deploy Dropcam.
Photograph courtesy Shelbi Randenberg
Christine Dell'Amore
Published October 26, 2011
Huge "ameobas" have been spotted in the Mariana Trench, the
deepest part of the world's oceans.
The giants of the deep are so-called xenophyophores, sponge-like
animals that—like amoebas—are made of just one cell. They were found during a
July research expedition run by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla , California
The animals are about four inches (ten centimeters) long—among the
largest single-celled organisms known to exist.
The creatures were discovered at depths of 6.6 miles (10.6 kilometers).
That breaks a previous record for xenophyophores found in the New
Hebrides Trench at 4.7 miles (7.6 kilometers).
Xenophyophores represent "one of the few groups of organisms found
exclusively in the deep sea," said Lisa Levin, a Scripps
oceanographer who studied the expedition's data.
"If any creatures should be able to live at the ocean's greatest
depth, then xenophyophores certainly should be among them."
The Mariana xenophyophores were seen in footage from Dropcams,
free-falling devices equipped with lights and digital video that were developed
by the National Geographic Society. (The Society owns National Geographic
News.)
Protected by thick walls of pressure-resistant glass, the Dropcams were
baited to attract whatever marine life might be lurking in the deep. Expedition
scientists also saw, for instance, the deepest-swimming jellyfish to date. (Watch a video of the
expedition.)
"The deep sea is the largest biome on Earth and holds much of the
diversity on the planet—[yet it's still] largely undescribed," Levin said
in an email to National Geographic News.
According to Jon Copley,
a marine biologist at the U.K. 's
University of Southampton
"The Dropcam is a great tool for the future, because it can
help us see more of what's down there for less cost than using ROVs or
submersibles," he said via email.
For instance, "finding xenophyophores far deeper than before shows
how much we still have to learn about our oceans depths and their inhabitants."
Tullis Onsott, an expert in deep-sea microorganisms
at Princeton University, also called the xenophyophore discovery
"fantastic."
"Who knows what's next, behemoth nematodes?" he said by
email.
The real organisms are not a hive mind which each cell able to attach to people and able to cause intense pain.
Of course the real single cell organisms cannot fly through the air. However, they could be recovered from the deep ocean and then flung through the air.
Scientists say xenophyophores are the largest individual cells in existence. Recent studies indicate that by trapping particles from the water, xenophyophores can concentrate high levels of lead, uranium and mercury and are thus likely resistant to large doses of heavy metals. They also are well suited to a life of darkness, low temperature and high pressure in the deep sea.
"The identification of these gigantic cells in one of the deepest marine environments on the planet opens up a whole new habitat for further study of biodiversity, biotechnological potential and extreme environment adaptation," said Doug Bartlett, the Scripps marine microbiologist who organized the expedition.
Tip of the iceberg
The xenophyophores are just the tip of the deep-sea ecosystem iceberg. The expedition also found the deepest jellyfish observed to date, as well as other mysterious animals.
OCTOBER 31, 2011
Star Trek had pancake sized single cell organisms in the episode
Operation: Annihilate
Scientists have discovered a community of 4-inch amoebas living at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest known part of the world's oceans.
Scientists have discovered a community of 4-inch amoebas living at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest known part of the world's oceans.
The neural parasites of Deneva
The real organisms are not a hive mind which each cell able to attach to people and able to cause intense pain.
Of course the real single cell organisms cannot fly through the air. However, they could be recovered from the deep ocean and then flung through the air.
The researchers spotted the life forms at depths up to 6.6 miles
(10,641 meters) within the Sirena Deep of the Mariana Trench. The previous
depth record for xenophyophores was approximately 4.7 miles (7,500 m) in the New Hebrides Trench, although sightings in the deepest
portion of the Mariana Trench have been reported.
Scientists say xenophyophores are the largest individual cells in existence. Recent studies indicate that by trapping particles from the water, xenophyophores can concentrate high levels of lead, uranium and mercury and are thus likely resistant to large doses of heavy metals. They also are well suited to a life of darkness, low temperature and high pressure in the deep sea.
"The identification of these gigantic cells in one of the deepest marine environments on the planet opens up a whole new habitat for further study of biodiversity, biotechnological potential and extreme environment adaptation," said Doug Bartlett, the Scripps marine microbiologist who organized the expedition.
Tip of the iceberg
The xenophyophores are just the tip of the deep-sea ecosystem iceberg. The expedition also found the deepest jellyfish observed to date, as well as other mysterious animals.
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