Mesmerizing Sea Life

A research expedition to explore deepest-sea creatures led to the discovery of the deepest fish ever filmed. In August 2022, a two-month expedition to the deep trenches around Japan in the north Pacific Ocean undertook by the research ship DSSV Pressure Drop.  As part of a 10-year study into the deepest fish populations in the world, the mission was to explore the Japan, Ryukyu and Izu-Ogasawara trenches at 8,000m, 9,300m and 7,300m deep respectively. Founder of the Minderoo-UWA Deep Sea Research Centre and chief scientist of the expedition, UWA Professor Alan Jamieson, worked with a team from the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology to deploy baited cameras in the deepest parts of the trenches. At a depth of 8,336m in the Izu-Ogasawara Trench, south of Japan, the team managed to film the deepest record of a fish, the unknown snailfish species of the genus Pseudoliparis.  A few days later, the team collected two fish in traps from 8,022m deep in the Japan Trench. ...

Natural History Museum unlocked 30 new species living at the bottom of the sea. Using a remotely operated vehicle collected specimens from the abyssal plains of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Central Pacific. Previously, creatures from this area had been studied only through photographs.  What surprises is out of 55 specimens recovered, 48 of them were new. The animals include segmented worms, invertebrates from the same family as centipedes, marine animals from the same family as jellyfish, and different types of coral. 17 were found at between 3,095 and 3,562 meters deep, two were collected on a seamount slope at 4,125 meters, and Thirty-six specimens were found at more than 4,800 meters deep. Dr. Guadalupe Bribiesca-Contreras, of the Natural History Museum, the study’s lead author said “the research is important not only due to the number of potentially new species discovered but because these megafauna specimens have previously only been studied from seabed images and added...

Two new genera and four giant single-celled xenophyophores (protozoans belonging to a group called the foraminifera). The species were discovered during a joint project from scientists at the national geographic center, UK (NOC), University of Hawaii, and the University of Genova. New species were collected by remotely operated vehicle Lu'ukai on an expedition to the western Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) aboard the RV Kilo Moana where the seabed in this area is about 3 miles deep.  "We were excited to find these beautiful new xenophyophores," said Andrew Gooday, professor at NOC and lead author of the recently published findings. "It seemed appropriate to name one after 'Moana', a Hawaiian word meaning ocean. Xenophyophores are one of the most common types of large organisms found on the CCZ abyssal plains, so the name of the second genus (Abyssalia) was chosen to reflect this." Xenophyophores construct shells, called tests, which they obta...

A new study has been carried out by a group of scientists who want to find about why this gelatinous creature is the main food source for most of the animals. The study is based on moon jelly samples from German Fjord. They contain no fat, no carbohydrates, just mostly of water. Yet, they are eaten by predators in the sea, fish, sea anemones, and even corals and turtles. Marine biologist and jellyfish expert Jamileh Javidpour says "The jellyfish we examined contain some fatty acids that are very valuable for their predators. Fatty acids are vital components of cell membranes and play a crucial role in processes like growth and reproduction". The researchers have collected jellyfish every 2 weeks for 2 years. They say that the content of fatty acid varies with the seasons. Several essential fatty acids are found in the moon jellyfish, polyunsaturated fatty acids, arachidonic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, and eicosapentaenoic acid  The jellyfish is an oppor...

Researchers find the deep-sea microbe that feeds on ethane, what is particularly amazing is that the mechanism can be reversed. The study has been carried by a group of researchers from Planck institute for marine microbiology and MARUM- Center for marine environmental sciences. The microbe was discovered in the seafloor of the Guaymas basin at a water depth of 200 meters in the Gulf of California.  Hydrothermal vents release large amounts of methane and other gaseous alkanes into the marine surface. Some natural components such as butane and propane can be broken down easily, but in order to degrade the natural gas components, two organisms are required. Consortia of Archea breaks down the alkanes and bacteria leads to coupling to sulfate reduction. However, the growth rate of these organisms is very slow and can only divide every few months. An experiment in the laboratory Using hydrothermal sediments of the Guaymas basin and ethane as a substrate, the microbial con...

New research has revealed that the squids can edit their genetic information not only within a neuron but also outside the axon. Digging deep, scientists from Tel Aviv University and the University of Colorado at Denver collaborated with MBL scientists to study RNA editing. In general, genetic information passes from DNA to RNA before synthesizing into proteins. A common set of biochemical processes, collectively known as RNA editing, can alter the information as it passes through the RNA. Mammals have two functional ADAR enzymes, known as ADAR 1 and ADAR 2, the message recorder. RNA editing is cataloged by these ADAR enzymes which is vital for the nervous system functioning.  Until now, we thought that all the editing will be performed in the nucleus and the altered RNA messenger is sent. But the squid can also alter the information out of the cell, which specifies that they can modify the protein function to meet the demands of the cell. Rosenthal and collea...

A little has known to us about the deep sea areas, which makes us reveal a great number of species when a deep-sea expedition is carried out. A recent expedition in  Western Australia Ningaloo Canyons have yielded some exciting finds. Conducted by scientists from the Western Australian Museum, Curtin University, Geoscience Australia, Scripps Institute of Oceanography and Schmidt Ocean Institute. Over the course of 20 dives and 140 hours, the expedition has revealed 30 new species in the Ningaloo Canyons of the Indian Ocean under the depths of 4500 m. The Expedition was carried using a robot called ROV SuBastian, which documented a huge array of sea creatures. Including glowing Taning’s octopus squid, long-tailed sea cucumbers, barnacles, squat lobsters, and other molluscs. A giant hydroid of the coral relative with bright red color which stood well over 1m. The camera has also found a massive, swirling siphonophore which is 154 feet in length greater than the lengths ...