Life
The expedition conducted in 1960 observed (with great surprise because of the high pressure) at the bottom large living creatures such as a sole or flounder about 30 cm (1 ft) long, and a shrimp. According to Piccard, "The bottom appeared light and clear, a waste of firm diatomaceous ooze". Many marine biologists are now sceptical of the supposed sighting of the flatfish, and it is suggested that the creature may instead have been a sea cucumber.
During the second expedition, the unmanned vehicle KaikÅ collected mud samples from the seabed. Tiny organisms were found to be living in those samples.
In July 2011 a research expedition deployed untethered landers, called dropcams, equipped with digital video and lights to explore this region of the deep sea. Amongst many other living organisms, some gigantic single-celled amoebas with a size of more than 4 inches (10 centimeters), belonging to the class of xenophyophores were observed. Xenophyophores are noteworthy for their size, their extreme abundance on the seafloor and their role as hosts for a variety of organisms.
Read more about this topic: Mariana Trench
Famous quotes containing the word life:
“Professors of literature, who for the most part are genteel but mediocre men, can make but a poor defense of their profession, and the professors of science, who are frequently men of great intelligence but of limited interests and education, feel a politely disguised contempt for it; and thus the study of one of the most pervasive and powerful influences on human life is traduced and neglected.”
—Yvor Winters (1900–1968)
“When you automate an industry you modernize it; when you automate a life you primitivize it.”
—Eric Hoffer (1902–1983)