What you learned in school
Marine biology textbooks taught that the deep ocean below the sunlight zone was a lifeless desert. Students learned that life required sunlight for photosynthesis, making the dark, cold, high-pressure depths uninhabitable. The deep sea was described as a barren wasteland where nothing could survive the extreme conditions.
What we know now
Marine biology textbooks taught that the deep ocean below the sunlight zone was essentially lifeless - too cold, dark, and high-pressure to support complex life. Students learned that life required sunlight and that the deep sea was a biological desert. The discovery of hydrothermal vents in 1977 revealed thriving ecosystems in the deepest parts of the ocean. These communities are based on chemosynthesis rather than photosynthesis, with unique organisms including giant tube worms, specialized bacteria, and complex food webs completely independent of surface life.