Living in the Darkness under the Sea
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Marine biologists patrol an undersea world that resembles a rocky landscape more than it does an
ocean floor. The scientists cruise through the water in a remote controlled submarine in complete
darkness. If they shine a light, what they see is something totally unexpected: tall rock formations
jutting up from the ocean floor and surrounded by black smoke, similar to underwater chimneys.
Circling these rocky peaks are worm-like organisms. They resemble red-and-white tubes—like giant
peppermint sticks. What is even more amazing is that these odd creatures are not only alive but living
in this dark underworld away from light and the sun's energy. So how is that possible?
Underwater vents somehow create an environment where these striped creatures can exist. Ever
since the discovery of the creatures in 1977, scientists have been both baffled and intrigued by
the very existence of these strange creatures that grow out of vents on the ocean floor away from
sunlight.
What scientists have learned is that there are large cracks, or vents, in the ocean floor where these
creatures exist. These deep-sea vents can be compared to the kinds of geysers you see on land. But,
instead of shooting up from the ground, they shoot up from the bottom of the ocean floor. According
to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the billowing black smoke that exists
on the ocean floor is probably the result of hot liquids bursting from the vents and mixing with the
extremely cold ocean water.
What is so shocking about this information? Well, scientists always believed that life on Earth could
not exist without sunlight. Yet somehow energy is being released below the surface of the water, and
all without the benefit of the sun. It's as if these undersea vents have created a unique ecosystem,
deriving energy from Earth itself.
These underwater creatures are known to scientists as extremophiles-a fancy name for organisms
that live in an extreme environment. Scientists continue to study these extremophiles to determine
just how the creatures turn ocean vents into sources of usable energy.