Searching for the Origins of Life in the Deep Sea

The deep sea is an incredibly hostile place. The pressures, temperatures and darkness are all extreme. And yet in these places life abounds. Highly specialized microbes have adapted to these incredibly harsh conditions. On the Red Sea Decade Expedition, scientists from KAUST explored and sampled these harsh environments including two brine pools (highly saline underwater lakes known to be toxic to most sea life) and also a field of mysterious, methane seeping chimneys that is like no place else in the ocean. Understanding what life can survive in these places, may reveal important clues on evolution or hold the key to medical and other scientific breakthroughs.

📍Red Sea with ‪@ncw_center2597‬

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