1Today we turn to one of the most extraordinary environments on Earth, the deep sea hydrothermal vent.
2These vents were discovered in the late seventies, completely by accident, during a mapping expedition.
3Before that discovery, biologists assumed the deep ocean floor was almost entirely empty of life.
4Instead, researchers found dense communities of creatures clustered around chimneys of hot, dark mineral water.
5What I want to emphasize is that these ecosystems do not depend on sunlight at all.
6Rather than using photosynthesis, bacteria here harvest energy from chemicals dissolved in the vent fluid.
7It is not the heat but these chemicals that form the true foundation of the food chain.
8The expedition was originally scheduled to last one month, though storms extended it to nearly three.
9Let me give you an example: the giant tube worm, which can grow taller than a person.
10Contrary to early predictions, vent communities recover surprisingly quickly after volcanic disturbances on the seabed.
11So the deep ocean, once considered a desert, is now seen as remarkably resilient and diverse.