Evening star., 1952-11-26
Seq Life 5 Miles Down
Examined by Scientists
Weird Creatures Dredeed Up
By Donish Naval Expedition
By Thomos R. Henry

A weird animal community dwells on
life'S last frontier-the bottom of the
deep sea in perpetual darkness at tenn
peratureS close to freezing and under
pressure Of approximately $4,000 pounds
to the square inch. or approximately
1000 times the pressure to which
land-dwelling animal is subjected.
This has just been reported to the
Office of Naval Research by DR.. Claude
E. zoBell of the Scripps Institution of
Oceanography. who accompanied the
deep-sea exploring expedition Of the
Danish naval frigate Galathea as Navy
observer.
He describes life at the greatest depths
at which it was found-approximate
five miles. The Galathea'S dredges
brought up q varieties of sea anemones
free living creatures very similar to
the polyps or coral, though they never
form coralS.
There were more than 100 holotherians
or sea cucumbers. Also five kinds of sea
lice. five worms, five kinds Of mollusks
akin to oysters and clans and two crab
like creatures. All these normally in
habit surface waters.
some EOTmS OnCatCnaDles
Through the ages, they gradually have
descended to great depths and have
become acclimated to the total darkness
and enormous pressure. Naturally, none
OF them were brought up alive. They
could not survive even for few minutes
the change in pressure. Their bodies
were badly distorted when they reached
the surface
All the forms examined are essentially
Sedentary animals. It Is quite possible,
says DR.. zoBell. that larger and livelier
creatures-perhaps even fish or free.
swimming mollusks like squids-exist at
the great depths, but it would be almost
impossible to catch any of them.
Scientists found that the sediment on
the sea bottom was alive with bacteria.
There literally were billions of these
one-celled, minute organisms per gram
of bottom mud. They differed quite
markedly from the bacteria found on
land or in surface waters. BY special
techniques it was possible to keep them
alive, and study Of the means by which
they have been able to adapt themselves
to great pressure may be of considerable
Importance to biological theory in gen.
eral.
Food Available In the Depths.
Hitherto it has been thought that life
would be impossible under such condi-
tions. A primary question is that Of
food. A certain amount Of organic
material floats downward from the seas
surface. This may constitute sufficient
food for the bacteria; and these, in
turn, may constitute the base of the
pyramid of life at great depths. Most
of the animals found on the deep sea
floor are types adapted to feed on
small particles. Some were actually
gorged with micro-organisms. Beyond
that. they probably feed on each other.
The greatest depth at which life was
found was 61A miles, at the bottom Of
the Mindanao Trench near the Philip
pines. This Is one of the two or three
greatest depths in the ocean. The bac-
terra brought up from this abyss could
not survive more than few minutes at
surface pressure. It was possible to
keep some Of them alive for study, how
ever, by placing them in a refrigerator
under pressure
instruments for collecting sea bottom
life. DR.. ZoBeh says, still necessarily are
crude, and until they are improved. it
will be possible only to scratch the sur
face" OF the living depths.