Earths hadal zone includes marine regions 19,700 to 36,000 feet (6,000 to 11,000 meters) below sea level.
New research sheds light on this dramatic environment and the creatures that call it home despite the extreme conditions.
Of the more than 7,000 microbial species researchers documented in the samples, over 89% were previously unknown.
The Mariana Trench.© NOAA
The hadal zone features extreme pressure, near-freezing temperatures, low nutrient levels, and almost complete darkness.
Simply put, extraordinary environmental challenges to life, according to the researchers.
The paper is one of atrio of MEER studieson hadal zone ecosystems published on the same day.
This last study also estimates when certain marine creatures first descended to such depths.
In other words, the hadal zones extreme environment likely drove unrelated species to develop similar traits.
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