The video explores the hidden world of the Mariana Trench, the deepest known location on earth. The trench is home to a diverse range of creatures that have adapted to the extreme conditions of the hadal zone. The video delves into the history of exploration of the trench, including the first manned dive by Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh in 1960, and more recent discoveries of unique and bizarre species. The video also highlights the importance of protecting and researching this little-understood ecosystem, and is sponsored by NordVPN.
Here are the key facts extracted from the provided text:
1. The Mariana Trench is the world's deepest known location on Earth, with the Challenger Deep reaching a depth of 11,033 meters or 36,200 feet beneath the ocean's surface.
2. The trench was formed due to subduction, where the western edge of the Pacific plate was thrust beneath the smaller Mariana plate, creating the deep fracture.
3. The Mariana Trench contains a zone known as the hadal zone, characterized by extreme conditions of pure darkness, acidic water, freezing temperatures, scarce food, and immense pressure.
4. In the 19th century, the Mariana Trench was first explored by the crew of the HMS Challenger, who discovered its extreme depth.
5. In 1960, Jacques Piccard and Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh descended to the bottom of the Mariana Trench using the Trieste submersible.
6. They encountered life in the trench, including pale shrimp, flounder-like fish, and dark brown diatomaceous ooze on the sea floor.
7. James Cameron also explored the trench in 2012 and observed microbial mats and bizarre microorganisms living in a sunless world, powered by chemosynthesis.
8. Kaiko, an unmanned Japanese submersible, sampled bacteria from the trench's mats in 1996, revealing bacteria that thrived under high environmental pressures.
9. In 1998, Kaiko discovered Hirondellea gigas, a gigantic amphipod species that retained its tough exoskeleton through a unique defense mechanism.
10. The Mariana Trench is home to various other unusual organisms, including xenophyophores, sea cucumbers like the sea pig, deep-sea hatchet fish, and more.
11. Despite the challenging conditions, life has adapted and thrives in the Mariana Trench's extreme depths, with many new species likely awaiting discovery.
12. Research into microorganisms in the trench could lead to breakthroughs in biomedicine and biotechnology and contribute to understanding life's emergence on Earth.
13. Human-driven destruction, such as plastic pollution, poses a threat to the trench's delicate ecosystem and the potential for future discoveries.
14. The text contains a sponsored message about NordVPN and its benefits for online privacy and security.
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