AS if life under the sea wasn’t tough enough, there are some depths not fit for any animal to survive.
Rare brine pools in the Red Sea are incredibly salty and have no oxygen whatsoever.
3
3
In fact, any that dare to wander within the brine is “immediately stunned or killed”, according to experts.
But there are some winners.
Sea predators that lurk nearby “feed on the unlucky,” Professor Sam Purkis, from the University of Miami, told Live Science.
“At this great depth, there is ordinarily not much life on the seabed.
“However, the brine pools are a rich oasis of life.
“Thick carpets of microbes support a diverse suite of animals.”
Deep sea brine pools are one of the most extreme environments on Earth which develop deep on the seafloor.
Scientists are intrigued by these salty underwater lakes as they’re believed to hold secrets into the way oceans on Earth formed millions of years ago.
Most read in Tech
They could also offer clues to life on other planets.
Explorers made their discovery more than one mile beneath the sea surface – 1,770 meters – using a remotely operated underwater vehicle.
“Until we understand the limits of life on Earth, it will be difficult to determine if alien planets can host any living beings,” Purkis added.
“Our discovery of a rich community of microbes that survive in extreme environments can help trace the limits of life on Earth and can be applied to the search for life elsewhere in our solar system and beyond.”
The research is published in the Nature Communications journal.
3
Find out more about science
Want to know more about the weird and wonderful world of science? From the Moon to the human body, we have you covered…
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at [email protected]
This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
