Hydrothermal Vents

According to standard scientific and evolutionary theory, life should become more scarce in the extreme parts of the world. Growing evidence over the last few decades, however, suggests the exact opposite. Life, it seems, is more diversified and thriving there than in most other places people are aware of, not just existing in what is considered unfriendly conditions.

Simply consider hydrothermal vents. These vents in the ocean floor, which emit a vast range of chemicals and minerals, are typically found close to active volcanoes. Many creatures that depend on the heat for survival use them as a source of energy because they also create a lot of it. An emerging school of evolutionary research contends that hydrothermal vents in the oceans, not space, are where life first appeared.

Although hydrothermal vents are unquestionably among the most fascinating geological structures on Earth, little is known about them, and people continue to discover brand-new vents with brand-new colonies of bacteria that people have never seen before.