Latest news with #ecosystem
CNN
2 days ago
- Science
- CNN
Scientists discover ecosystem nearly 30,000 feet under the sea where ‘life needs tricks to survive'
Marine researchers exploring extreme depths say they have discovered an astonishing deep-sea ecosystem of chemosynthetic life that's fueled by gases escaping from fractures in the ocean bed. The expedition revealed methane-producing microbes and marine invertebrates that make their home in unforgiving conditions where the sun's rays don't reach, according to a new study. Geochemist Mengran Du had 30 minutes left in her submersible mission when she decided to explore one last stretch of the trenches that lie between Russia and Alaska, about 5,800 to 9,500 meters (19,000 to 30,000 feet) below the ocean's surface in what's called the hadal zone. She said she began to notice 'amazing creatures,' including various species of clam and tube worm that had never been recorded so deep below the surface. What Du stumbled upon was a roughly 2,500-kilometer (1,550-mile) stretch of what her team says is the deepest known ecosystem of organisms that use the chemical compound methane instead of sunlight to survive. Du is a co-lead author of a study describing the findings that was published July 30 in the journal Nature. The hadal zone is primarily comprised of oceanic trenches and troughs — some of the deepest and least explored environments on Earth. At these depths, 'life needs tricks to survive and thrive there,' explained Du, a professor and researcher at the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. One of those tricks lies in bacteria that have evolved to live inside the clams and tube worms, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. The bacteria convert methane and hydrogen sulfide from cold seeps — cracks in the seafloor that leak these compounds as fluids — into energy and food that the host animal can use, allowing organisms to live in zero-sunlight conditions. The discovery suggests that these communities might also exist in other hadal trenches, Du said, opening opportunities for further research into just how deep these animals can survive. After analyzing sediment samples collected from the expedition, Du and her team said they detected high concentrations of methane. The find was surprising, since deep-sea sediments normally contain very low concentrations of the compound. The scientists hypothesized that microbes living in the ecosystem convert organic matter in the sediments into carbon dioxide, and carbon dioxide into methane — something the researchers didn't know microbes could do. The bacteria living inside clam and tube worm species then use this methane for chemosynthesis to survive, Du said. There was another revelation, too. Scientists previously thought chemosynthetic communities relied on organic matter — such as from dead organisms and drifting particles from living species — that fell from the ocean's surface to the floor. But this discovery, Du said, reveals that these methane-producing microbes are also creating a local source of organic molecules that larger organisms such as clams can use for food and energy. Methane, as a carbon-containing compound, is part of the carbon cycle. So, this discovery also indicates that the hadal trenches play a more important role in that cycle than previously thought, Du explained. Scientists have long understood that methane is stored as compressed fluid deep in the subduction zone, where tectonic plates meet below the ocean floor, which ultimately releases through 'cold seeps' at the bottom of hadal trenches. Now that Du's team has discovered chemosynthesis at such depths, they hypothesize that the hadal trenches act not only as reservoirs, but also as recycling centers for methane. This suggests, Du said, that 'a large amount of the carbon stays in the sediments and (is) recycled by the microorganisms.' Indeed, scientists have recently estimated that hadal zone sediments could sequester as much as 70 times more organic carbon than the surrounding seafloor. These so-called carbon sinks are crucial for our planet given that methane and carbon dioxide are two major greenhouse gases driving global warming in the atmosphere. Chemosynthetic communities themselves are not new to science. Previous research has hinted that it was possible for them to thrive at such great depths, said Johanna Weston, a deep ocean ecologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts who was not involved with the new study. She was impressed, however, with the extent of the recent discovery, she told CNN. In an age of widespread biodiversity loss, the finding highlights the importance of new technology that can withstand high pressure in deep-sea environments to document undiscovered organisms, said Weston, who is part of a team actively exploring the deep-sea offshore from Argentina. Even though the hadal trenches are remote, they aren't completely isolated, she added. Weston and her colleagues discovered a newfound species in 2020 in the Mariana Trench named Eurythenes plasticus for the microplastic fibers detected in its gut. And near Puerto Rico, Weston newly identified an isopod that exclusively eats sargassum, a type of abundant seaweed in the Atlantic Ocean that can sink to the ocean floor in just 40 hours. 'The deep ocean is very connected to what's happening on the surface,' she said. Research on deep-sea ecosystems is only a few decades old, and the technology for new discoveries is improving. But Du added that it's important for different countries and scientific disciplines to collaborate on future efforts. The Global Hadal Exploration Program, which is co-led by UNESCO and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, aims to do just that by creating a network of deep-sea scientists from multiple countries. Du hopes she and her team can learn more about hadal trench ecosystems by studying how these species have adapted to such extreme depths. 'Even though we see the hadal trench as a very extreme environment, the most inhospitable environment … (chemosynthetic organisms) can live happily there,' Du said. Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.
CNN
2 days ago
- Science
- CNN
Scientists discover ecosystem nearly 30,000 feet under the sea where ‘life needs tricks to survive'
FacebookTweetLink Marine researchers exploring extreme depths say they have discovered an astonishing deep-sea ecosystem of chemosynthetic life that's fueled by gases escaping from fractures in the ocean bed. The expedition revealed methane-producing microbes and marine invertebrates that make their home in unforgiving conditions where the sun's rays don't reach, according to a new study. Geochemist Mengran Du had 30 minutes left in her submersible mission when she decided to explore one last stretch of the trenches that lie between Russia and Alaska, about 5,800 to 9,500 meters (19,000 to 30,000 feet) below the ocean's surface in what's called the hadal zone. She said she began to notice 'amazing creatures,' including various species of clam and tube worm that had never been recorded so deep below the surface. What Du stumbled upon was a roughly 2,500-kilometer (1,550-mile) stretch of what her team says is the deepest known ecosystem of organisms that use the chemical compound methane instead of sunlight to survive. Du is a co-lead author of a study describing the findings that was published July 30 in the journal Nature. The hadal zone is primarily comprised of oceanic trenches and troughs — some of the deepest and least explored environments on Earth. At these depths, 'life needs tricks to survive and thrive there,' explained Du, a professor and researcher at the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. One of those tricks lies in bacteria that have evolved to live inside the clams and tube worms, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. The bacteria convert methane and hydrogen sulfide from cold seeps — cracks in the seafloor that leak these compounds as fluids — into energy and food that the host animal can use, allowing organisms to live in zero-sunlight conditions. The discovery suggests that these communities might also exist in other hadal trenches, Du said, opening opportunities for further research into just how deep these animals can survive. After analyzing sediment samples collected from the expedition, Du and her team said they detected high concentrations of methane. The find was surprising, since deep-sea sediments normally contain very low concentrations of the compound. The scientists hypothesized that microbes living in the ecosystem convert organic matter in the sediments into carbon dioxide, and carbon dioxide into methane — something the researchers didn't know microbes could do. The bacteria living inside clam and tube worm species then use this methane for chemosynthesis to survive, Du said. There was another revelation, too. Scientists previously thought chemosynthetic communities relied on organic matter — such as from dead organisms and drifting particles from living species — that fell from the ocean's surface to the floor. But this discovery, Du said, reveals that these methane-producing microbes are also creating a local source of organic molecules that larger organisms such as clams can use for food and energy. Methane, as a carbon-containing compound, is part of the carbon cycle. So, this discovery also indicates that the hadal trenches play a more important role in that cycle than previously thought, Du explained. Scientists have long understood that methane is stored as compressed fluid deep in the subduction zone, where tectonic plates meet below the ocean floor, which ultimately releases through 'cold seeps' at the bottom of hadal trenches. Now that Du's team has discovered chemosynthesis at such depths, they hypothesize that the hadal trenches act not only as reservoirs, but also as recycling centers for methane. This suggests, Du said, that 'a large amount of the carbon stays in the sediments and (is) recycled by the microorganisms.' Indeed, scientists have recently estimated that hadal zone sediments could sequester as much as 70 times more organic carbon than the surrounding seafloor. These so-called carbon sinks are crucial for our planet given that methane and carbon dioxide are two major greenhouse gases driving global warming in the atmosphere. Chemosynthetic communities themselves are not new to science. Previous research has hinted that it was possible for them to thrive at such great depths, said Johanna Weston, a deep ocean ecologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts who was not involved with the new study. She was impressed, however, with the extent of the recent discovery, she told CNN. In an age of widespread biodiversity loss, the finding highlights the importance of new technology that can withstand high pressure in deep-sea environments to document undiscovered organisms, said Weston, who is part of a team actively exploring the deep-sea offshore from Argentina. Even though the hadal trenches are remote, they aren't completely isolated, she added. Weston and her colleagues discovered a newfound species in 2020 in the Mariana Trench named Eurythenes plasticus for the microplastic fibers detected in its gut. And near Puerto Rico, Weston newly identified an isopod that exclusively eats sargassum, a type of abundant seaweed in the Atlantic Ocean that can sink to the ocean floor in just 40 hours. 'The deep ocean is very connected to what's happening on the surface,' she said. Research on deep-sea ecosystems is only a few decades old, and the technology for new discoveries is improving. But Du added that it's important for different countries and scientific disciplines to collaborate on future efforts. The Global Hadal Exploration Program, which is co-led by UNESCO and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, aims to do just that by creating a network of deep-sea scientists from multiple countries. Du hopes she and her team can learn more about hadal trench ecosystems by studying how these species have adapted to such extreme depths. 'Even though we see the hadal trench as a very extreme environment, the most inhospitable environment … (chemosynthetic organisms) can live happily there,' Du said. Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.
CNN
2 days ago
- Science
- CNN
Scientists discover ecosystem nearly 30,000 feet under the sea where ‘life needs tricks to survive'
Marine researchers exploring extreme depths say they have discovered an astonishing deep-sea ecosystem of chemosynthetic life that's fueled by gases escaping from fractures in the ocean bed. The expedition revealed methane-producing microbes and marine invertebrates that make their home in unforgiving conditions where the sun's rays don't reach, according to a new study. Geochemist Mengran Du had 30 minutes left in her submersible mission when she decided to explore one last stretch of the trenches that lie between Russia and Alaska, about 5,800 to 9,500 meters (19,000 to 30,000 feet) below the ocean's surface in what's called the hadal zone. She said she began to notice 'amazing creatures,' including various species of clam and tube worm that had never been recorded so deep below the surface. What Du stumbled upon was a roughly 2,500-kilometer (1,550-mile) stretch of what her team says is the deepest known ecosystem of organisms that use the chemical compound methane instead of sunlight to survive. Du is a co-lead author of a study describing the findings that was published July 30 in the journal Nature. The hadal zone is primarily comprised of oceanic trenches and troughs — some of the deepest and least explored environments on Earth. At these depths, 'life needs tricks to survive and thrive there,' explained Du, a professor and researcher at the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. One of those tricks lies in bacteria that have evolved to live inside the clams and tube worms, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. The bacteria convert methane and hydrogen sulfide from cold seeps — cracks in the seafloor that leak these compounds as fluids — into energy and food that the host animal can use, allowing organisms to live in zero-sunlight conditions. The discovery suggests that these communities might also exist in other hadal trenches, Du said, opening opportunities for further research into just how deep these animals can survive. After analyzing sediment samples collected from the expedition, Du and her team said they detected high concentrations of methane. The find was surprising, since deep-sea sediments normally contain very low concentrations of the compound. The scientists hypothesized that microbes living in the ecosystem convert organic matter in the sediments into carbon dioxide, and carbon dioxide into methane — something the researchers didn't know microbes could do. The bacteria living inside clam and tube worm species then use this methane for chemosynthesis to survive, Du said. There was another revelation, too. Scientists previously thought chemosynthetic communities relied on organic matter — such as from dead organisms and drifting particles from living species — that fell from the ocean's surface to the floor. But this discovery, Du said, reveals that these methane-producing microbes are also creating a local source of organic molecules that larger organisms such as clams can use for food and energy. Methane, as a carbon-containing compound, is part of the carbon cycle. So, this discovery also indicates that the hadal trenches play a more important role in that cycle than previously thought, Du explained. Scientists have long understood that methane is stored as compressed fluid deep in the subduction zone, where tectonic plates meet below the ocean floor, which ultimately releases through 'cold seeps' at the bottom of hadal trenches. Now that Du's team has discovered chemosynthesis at such depths, they hypothesize that the hadal trenches act not only as reservoirs, but also as recycling centers for methane. This suggests, Du said, that 'a large amount of the carbon stays in the sediments and (is) recycled by the microorganisms.' Indeed, scientists have recently estimated that hadal zone sediments could sequester as much as 70 times more organic carbon than the surrounding seafloor. These so-called carbon sinks are crucial for our planet given that methane and carbon dioxide are two major greenhouse gases driving global warming in the atmosphere. Chemosynthetic communities themselves are not new to science. Previous research has hinted that it was possible for them to thrive at such great depths, said Johanna Weston, a deep ocean ecologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts who was not involved with the new study. She was impressed, however, with the extent of the recent discovery, she told CNN. In an age of widespread biodiversity loss, the finding highlights the importance of new technology that can withstand high pressure in deep-sea environments to document undiscovered organisms, said Weston, who is part of a team actively exploring the deep-sea offshore from Argentina. Even though the hadal trenches are remote, they aren't completely isolated, she added. Weston and her colleagues discovered a newfound species in 2020 in the Mariana Trench named Eurythenes plasticus for the microplastic fibers detected in its gut. And near Puerto Rico, Weston newly identified an isopod that exclusively eats sargassum, a type of abundant seaweed in the Atlantic Ocean that can sink to the ocean floor in just 40 hours. 'The deep ocean is very connected to what's happening on the surface,' she said. Research on deep-sea ecosystems is only a few decades old, and the technology for new discoveries is improving. But Du added that it's important for different countries and scientific disciplines to collaborate on future efforts. The Global Hadal Exploration Program, which is co-led by UNESCO and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, aims to do just that by creating a network of deep-sea scientists from multiple countries. Du hopes she and her team can learn more about hadal trench ecosystems by studying how these species have adapted to such extreme depths. 'Even though we see the hadal trench as a very extreme environment, the most inhospitable environment … (chemosynthetic organisms) can live happily there,' Du said. Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
New social media platform a 'digital marae' for Māori
Aotearoa New Zealand's first social media app. Photo: RNZ / Emma Andrews A project three years in the making, social media platform Tōku Whānau is close to being launched. But it was not a Māori Facebook, creators BJ and Trevania Walbaekken reiterated, it was its own "ecosystem" that put Māori in front of their own data. "We don't need another Facebook with Māori labels. It has to be Māori-owned, Māori-run, and that's why we're talking to iwi, we turn around and say actually you've got to be driving this, it's driven by the whānau," BJ said. While it gave people a safe and inclusive space to connect through sharing visuals, stories, and to tap into the digital side of te ao Māori, it was not exclusive to just Māori. It was also a bilingual site between te reo Māori and English. It could be used as a way to locate long-lost whānau and trace whakapapa. Tōku Whānau creator and IT guru BJ Walbaekken Photo: Supplied Bj (Waikato-Tainui) has been in the IT industry for over 25 years, normally contracting and commuting from Waikato to Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch, and around the world, but his wife Trevania mentioned that she missed him being home. "She challenged me to get something more local and I'm thinking well what do I do? I've got all these specialist skills," he said. Using their own resources and finances, the wedded pair cracked on with it. "We've got a man here who can really build according to your taste," Trevania said, so he "spearheaded and prototyped" it. "We thought well if we're going to do it, let's do it with our own and that's often the hardest - to do with your own friends and family - but actually they gave us a lot of feedback and we've just worked our way at it over the past three years." Trevania (Ngāti Kahungunu) is a kaiako Rūmaki of 20 years and is also the director for the project, favouring whakawhanaungatanga (creating relationships). "[BJ's] leading it and he's the digitech guy but actually it takes the space of the both of us to get that seesaw - it can't be too techy, can't be too businessy or else you'll miss the heart of it." There will be groups, connections, events, news, and more dedicated to specific kaupapa Photo: screenshot The name Tōku Whānau derives from tōku meaning "mine", and whānau being the whole community. "And so we have the IP on Tōku Whānau that ensures we're doing this the right way. It keeps us honest. It keeps us authentic because we don't own tōku whānau, we are tōku whānau. "It's a very indigenous social platform, which has the potential to lead in Aotearoa New Zealand as well as the world." According to research by Meltwater/We Are Social, 79.1 percent of Kiwis were active social media users and spent an average of two hours and three minutes on social media networks each day. That equated to 4.14 million active social media user identities in New Zealand in January 2025. Tōku Whānau had morphed from the idea of a "Māori Facebook" to a "digital wharenui" with multiple platforms. "A diverse rākau that has roots, that has branches. That's what we can do with our Māori worldview. We see things like that, as well as other indigenous nations around the world," Trevania said. Trevania Walbaekken is the director for Tōku Whānau Photo: supplied A side panel on the main page includes whakataukī o te rā and kupu o te rā , or sayings of the day. "It's uncovering all those hidden gems and then putting it within the layer that's confident like with whānau that were native speakers and non-native speakers what we're able to do to help those ones that weren't speakers," BJ said. Tōku Whānau had a soft launch a few weeks ago with a turn out of 140 of the Walbaekken's friends, whānau, and local businesses. "We had full house marae styles all our whānau here and we actually put on a beautiful evening with kai, we celebrated who we are as Māori." It solidified their reasons for creating the socials site, for social media users and generations to come. "We're actually in the digital era, we're in the Māori digital era , we will be part of those ushering, putting tikanga in place especially for youth and our young ones because they're on these spaces and places - on instagram and tiktok - all over with nothing in place," Trevania said. "If we don't get in the front, we will actually just be left behind and we have the skills and expertise ... within our reach to do it, and that's why we are moving." Tōku Whānau was not fully live yet, but people could sign up and navigate the platform. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
CBC
4 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Algae bloom takes over Vancouver's Lost Lagoon
Lost Lagoon in Vancouver's Stanley Park is known for its scenic beauty and relaxing landscape. But this year, once again, a blanket of thick algae has taken over a large section of the lake. As Rafferty Baker reports, the algae bloom is a sign that the ecosystem is in bad health.
