DAWN OF THE DEEP
Imagine a place almost two kilometers below the sea surface. It’s always
dark-there is absolutely no sunlight. Scientists used to think that animals couldn’t
live without the surfs energy. As a result, they never expected to find living
creatures down there. But they did.
In 1997, scientists got a surprise. something was bubbling at the bottom of
the ocean. They had found deep sea vents, home to amazing and unusual
animals. Jonathan Eisen, one of the scientists investigating the vents,
emphasized the discovery’s importance. "It told us that life can thrive. Not just
grow a little bit, but actually thrive –[even] in the absence of light. " The vents
are home to a huge number of creatures. On average, scientists have discovered
a new species every 10 days since 1979.Timothy Shank, a marine ecologist,
calls the number of new species "mind- boggling." " We're still on the tip of the
iceberg he says.
The discovery was important for another reason. Scientists used to think
animals couldn't live in temperatures above 55 C. But the deep ca vents are that
hot- sometimes even hotter. The discovery of life in such an extreme
environment made scientists review some of their ideas about the places inwhich life is possible. They hope the vents will give them more information
about early life on Earth. Other scientists are looking into space. They believe
that if life can survive in the vents, it might give us hope to find life beyond
Earth.