Deep-sea researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery in the extreme depths of the ocean, uncovering an astonishing ecosystem that thrives without sunlight. Led by geochemist Mengran Du, the team found a vast network of chemosynthetic life, fueled by methane and hydrogen sulfide escaping from oceanic fractures.
This remarkable ecosystem spans over 2,500 kilometers and is thought to be the deepest known community of organisms using methane instead of sunlight for survival. The hadal zone, where this discovery was made, is characterized by extreme pressure and darkness, making it one of the most inhospitable environments on Earth.
Du’s team discovered that bacteria living inside clams and tube worms convert methane into energy, allowing these animals to survive in conditions with no sunlight. This groundbreaking finding suggests that hadal trenches may play a crucial role in the carbon cycle, storing and recycling massive amounts of organic carbon.
The discovery highlights the importance of new technology for exploring deep-sea environments and emphasizes the need for international collaboration among scientists. Du hopes her team’s research will shed more light on how life has adapted to extreme depths and the potential for further discoveries in this vast, uncharted territory.
This finding also underscores the significance of studying deep-sea ecosystems, which are increasingly being linked to surface events. Research on these communities is crucial for our understanding of global climate change, as methane and carbon dioxide are two major greenhouse gases driving warming in the atmosphere.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/11/science/deep-sea-discovery-hadal-trenches