22 July 2010
New Deep Sea Vents Discovered in the Caribbean
Posted by Ryan Anderson
The hybrid robotic vehicle Nereus is recovered after searching for new hydrothermal vents along the Mid-Cayman Rise. Image credit: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Here’s the second of my recent Universe Today Articles: scientists have discovered new deep sea vents in the Caribbean that will teach us more about sunless ecosystems. Good to know if we ever want to look for life in the oceans of Europa some day! Check out the article here.
I’m a little wary of calling these “Europa analogs” until we have better characterized the Europa sea-floor environment. (Mission! Mission! MISSION!)
Still, that is not at all an implausibility! Some of Greenberg’s papers speculating on possible Europan ecosystems are really fun to think about.
Yeah, I agree. I took a little creative license in my headline… 🙂