1An international team of scientists has returned from a six-week expedition to the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean.
2Using a specially designed submarine, the researchers explored a trench that lies more than ten thousand metres below the surface.
3They discovered at least a dozen species of fish and shrimp that have never been seen before.
4One pale creature was found living in complete darkness under pressure hundreds of times greater than on land.
5The team also collected samples of seawater to measure how much plastic pollution reaches the ocean floor.
6Early results suggest that tiny pieces of plastic are present in almost every sample collected at great depth.
7The expedition leader described the journey as the most technically challenging project of her thirty-year career.
8Film cameras recorded more than eighty hours of footage for a television documentary due next year.
9The scientists hope their discoveries will persuade governments around the world to protect deep-sea environments from mining.
10A second expedition to the same region is already being planned for the following spring.