Where life, not dependent on sunshine, also exists.
Hydrothermal vents.
These features of the deep sea have bought about an understanding about whole new ecosystems since their discovery.
These power ecosystems based on chemosynthesis.
The early colonisers of these environments are tube worms.
Scientists were totally blown away when these were first discovered, firstly there was no light, secondly pressurs at this depth of the ocean are often extreme and temperatures around thes vent are often close to boiling point.
Yet here we have total ecosystems living and thriving. This has produced a whole new possibility for finding life on other planets.
Our solar system alone has a number of planets and moons that are covered in thick ice but are considered to have oceans of liquid water underneath that ice, that is kept liquid due to heat from volcanic activity within the planet or moon.
Some scientists are wondering if the first life on earth did not emerge around these types of vents in the form of extremophiles.
You can find out more about chemosynthesis and extremophiles here.
