Scientists have recorded first-of-its-kind footage revealing vibrant, alien-like sea creatures at record-breaking depths in the northwest Pacific Ocean, in some of the deepest marine trenches on Earth. The ecosystems, found by a Chinese-led research team, exist far beyond the reach of sunlight and persist under crushing water pressure, using chemical reactions from gases seeping through the seafloor as their energy source.
According to Live Science, the discovery sheds light on rarely documented communities thriving in the hadal zone. The findings, published Wednesday, July 30, in the journal Nature, represent the deepest and most extensive chemosynthesis-based habitats observed to date.
Discovery in the Hadal Zone
Using a deep-diving submersible, the team explored depths ranging from 19,029 feet (5,800 meters) to 31,276 feet (9,533 meters) in the Kuril-Kamchatka and Aleutian trenches. These are part of the hadal zone — the deepest, least explored parts of the ocean — where conditions are both geologically and seismically active.
It’s exciting — especially for a deep sea scientist — to go to a place that human beings have not explored – said Xiaotong Peng, one of the study’s lead authors and deputy director of the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in an interview with BBC News.
It’s a great opportunity to discover new things. And what we saw was quite amazing.
Survival Without Sunlight and Lessons for Hibernation Research
In these alien environments, sunlight is absent beyond 656 feet (200 meters), making photosynthesis impossible. Instead, life thrives through chemosynthesis — a process where bacteria convert hydrogen sulfide and methane into energy.
The ability of these organisms to adapt to extreme pressures, freezing temperatures, and limited energy sources could inform research into hibernation in animals and humans. Understanding these adaptations may one day help scientists manipulate genetic switches to slow human metabolism for space travel or medical purposes.
The communities are dominated by marine tubeworms called siboglinid polychaetes and molluscs called bivalves, which synthesize their energy using hydrogen sulfide and methane seeping out of faults in the tectonic plate – representatives from Springer Nature wrote in a statement.
Alien Habitats More Widespread Than Expected
The expedition confirmed that these chemical-powered sea creatures are more widespread in the hadal zone than scientists once believed. The extreme pressure, near-freezing temperatures, and volcanic activity did not prevent these alien-like organisms from flourishing. The physiological resilience seen here parallels certain hibernation states in mammals, where genetic switches control energy usage and metabolic slowdown.
How Little We Have Explored
Despite this breakthrough, the deep ocean remains one of Earth’s last frontiers. Studies show humans have explored only 0.001% of the deep seafloor below 656 feet (200 meters) — an area roughly the size of Rhode Island. This means vast realms filled with alien sea creatures are still waiting to be discovered.
By studying the genetic switches and metabolic strategies of these organisms, researchers could gain insights into slowing human metabolism for medical recovery, long-duration space missions, or even future cryogenic technologies.
The research team plans to return to these trenches to study the organisms in detail, with the possibility of uncovering new species and deepening our understanding of how life — and perhaps hibernation-like survival — thrives in the harshest environments on our planet.