The deepest parts of the ocean remain less explored than the surface of Mars, but a new fleet of autonomous cameras is changing that rapidly. Scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution announced the discovery of 47 new species during a six-month survey of the Mariana Trench, the deepest known point on Earth.
The cameras, encased in titanium spheres capable of withstanding pressures exceeding 1,000 atmospheres, were equipped with 8K sensors and infrared illumination to minimize disturbance to light-sensitive organisms. They operated autonomously at depths between 7,000 and 10,900 meters, relaying data via acoustic modems to surface buoys.
The Hadal Explorer camera system before deployment from R/V Falkor.Among the discoveries are three new species of snailfish, a transparent shrimp with bioluminescent organs arranged in geometric patterns, and a colonial organism that researchers have tentatively classified as a new phylum entirely. "We've never seen anything like it," said marine biologist Dr. Akiko Tanaka. "It appears to be a cooperative network of individual cells acting as a single organism, but its DNA doesn't match any known group."