It’s true: James Cameron is set to become the most recent visitor ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ and only the third person ever ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ to see Challenger Deep.
But what’s the deal? Why is there this renewed “race to the bottom” when others have been there before and there might not even be much down there?
Because that might not be true: life can withstand much more than 11 kilometers of overlying water.
Here’s an example:
‘Bacteria from the Marianas Trench can withstand pressures of 70-80 megapascals (MPa), while laboratory experiments using a diamond anvil cell showed that microbes like Shewanella oneidensis and E. coli can handle pressures up to 1680 MPa.’
That’s a lot of pressure!
But just because there might not be some horrible creature or beautiful specimen floating around down there does not mean it isn’t worth it. The vast majority of deep-sea research is centered around exotic geological curiosities!
Until we’re told specifically why they’re doing this — and hopefully it isn’t a pissing contest or a bucket list thing for billionaires — we won’t know exactly why. The explorers are being super vague about it all.
This might be one reason, though:
‘Hopefully the expeditions will gather a wider range of contextual information about nutrient supply and chemical concentrations above the seafloor and through the sediment column. Once samples make it back to the lab, researchers will be able to unleash a new generation of techniques to determine genetic sequences and identify metabolic products with more detail than ever before. Paradoxically, this geographically anomalous patch of seafloor could provide some of the most detailed information about the most pedestrian, most pervasive seafloor processes. And that would be a legacy worth racing for.’
Either way, we’re glad that there are still people out there with a true sense of adventure!
This is going to be an incredible experience — and we’re glad that James is going to film the whole thing!
Good luck, Jim!
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