Researchers identify mysterious life forms in the extreme deep sea
Monday, October 24, 2011 - 16:30
in Paleontology & Archaeology
A research expedition has led to the identification of gigantic amoebas at one of the deepest locations on Earth. During a voyage to the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench, the deepest region on the planet, researchers deployed untethered free-falling/ascending landers equipped with digital video and lights to search the largely unexplored region. The team documented the deepest known existence of xenophyophores, single-celled animals exclusively found in deep-sea environments.