Monday, August 3, 2026
Science

Scientists discover thriving hard-substrate fauna in Oceania's deep sea

In the crushing darkness of the hadal zone—deep ocean trenches plunging 6,000 m to nearly 11,000 m—scientists have uncovered a hidden community. A study published in Science on May 14 reports the discovery of a protist-dominated hard-substrate fauna across seven hadal regions in Oceania, highlightin...

Scientists discover thriving hard-substrate fauna in Oceania's deep sea
Image: Phys.org
In the crushing darkness of the hadal zone—deep ocean trenches plunging 6,000 m to nearly 11,000 m—scientists have uncovered a hidden community. A study published in Science on May 14 reports the discovery of a protist-dominated hard-substrate fauna across seven hadal regions in Oceania, highlighting an overlooked yet highly active carbon "hotspot."

Originally published at Phys.org

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