Sunday, February 8, 2009
Extremophiles rule...
other worlds, most likely. I've always held a fascination for creatures able to adapt to seemingly hostile environments (hostile at least to us.) Here's a press release describing new discoveries related to tube worms that populate hydrothermal vents on the deep ocean floor. I wouldn't be surprised at all to find comparable organisms thriving in the ice-covered ocean of Europa, a moon of Jupiter, clustered around similar hot springs.
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Can you dive the hydrothermal deep ocean with nitrox? That would be a worthwhile expedition. Who studies the geology of the ocean floor, and are there any openings?
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All visits to to these systems have used deep-diving submersibles as the mid-ocean ridge systems lay in water that is 2,500 m or more in depth. There's a terrific oceanography program at University of Washington if you're interested.
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