“We spend billions to study outer space, and we know so little about life on our own planet. Every time we go into the deep sea we discover new species.”
—Shana Goffredi, associate professor of biology, after discovering tiny orange tube worms and dozens of other animals, some never before seen, living near super-heated hydrothermal vents near the ocean floor in areas completely devoid of light. Her findings—published in the July 26 Proceedings of the Royal Society—may place proposed precious metal mining in the Gulf of California in hot water.
