Microbes are thriving in surprising numbers at the deepest spot in the oceans, the 11,000-meter Mariana Trench in the Pacific, despite crushing pressures in sunless waters, scientists said.
Dead plants and fish were falling as food for microscopic bugs even to the little-known hadal depths, parts of the seabed deeper than 6,000m and named after Hades, the god of the underworld in Greek mythology, they said.
The presence of life in the trench also shows how the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide can eventually get buried in the depths in a natural process that slows climate change.
Photo: Reuters
照片：路透
A Danish-led team of scientists, using a robot to take samples, found double the amount of bacteria and other microbes munching away on debris at the bottom of the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific than at a nearby site 6,000m deep.
“It’s surprising there was so much bacterial activity,” said Ronnie Glud, of the University of Southern Denmark. “Normally life gets scarcer the deeper you go. But when you go very deep, more things start happening again,” he said.
The finding backed up a theory that dead plants and fish falling onto the steep sides of the Mariana Trench often slide to the bottom to form a “hot spot” for microbes.
(Reuters)
科學家說，微生物在海洋最深處，也就是深達一萬一千米的太平洋馬里亞納海溝，儘管承受暗無天日海域的擠壓壓力，以驚人的數量蓬勃生長。
他們說，死亡的植物與魚類甚至落達鮮為人知的超深海層，做為只能透過顯微鏡才看得到的小蟲食物，該水域部分的海床深逾六千米，並以希臘神話的陰間神明「冥王哈帝斯」為名。
該海溝的生命蹤跡也顯示，溫室氣體二氧化碳是如何能自然地被埋藏於深淵中，以減緩氣候變遷。
一個丹麥科學家領軍的團隊，運用機器人採樣，發現在西太平洋馬里亞納海溝的底部，津津有味咀嚼生物殘骸的細菌與其他微生物的數量，比鄰近六千米深海的據點多出一倍。
「那裡有如此多細菌活動令人驚訝，」南丹麥大學科學家格魯德說。「一般越深入海洋，生物就越少，但當下探到極深之處，越多的生物開始再度發生，」他說。
這項發現支持一個理論︰落至馬里亞納海溝陡坡的死去植物與魚類，往往滑到底部形成微生物的「熱點」。
(路透／翻譯：魏國金）
A: Isn’t the 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival — a massive music event held every April — about to open in California? B: Yeah the festival is set to take place over two weekends, from April 10 to 12 and 17 to 19, US time. A: I heard this year’s main stage headliners include Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, Karol G and EDM DJ Anyma. B: The K-pop army is also making an appearance, with legendary group BigBang, SHINee member Taemin and girl group Katseye debuting for the first time. A: Isn’t Coachella also live-streamed on its YouTube
★ Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account. 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構。 Lucas was already on the ground before he fully understood what was happening. “Hurry! Kneel down!” someone shouted. The asphalt was warm against his knees. Around him, dozens of people lay flat in the narrow street outside Jenn Lann Temple in Dajia. Some pressed their hands together in prayer. Others closed their eyes. Lucas had only come to look at the temple. An hour earlier he had stepped into the noisy courtyard out of curiosity. Inside the main hall, people held incense sticks, bowed three times,
You might think knitting is only for grandmas, but surprisingly, many young people are embracing so-called “grandma hobbies.” On social media platforms, activities such as home cooking, embroidery and gardening are becoming popular among teenagers and young adults who are drawn to their relaxing and creative nature. “Grandma hobbies” typically refer to activities that are slow-paced, handmade and nostalgic. Common examples include knitting scarves, baking cookies, sewing clothes and growing plants. These hobbies were once part of everyday life for many women in previous generations, but today they provide an escape from the fast-paced digital world. The appeal
對話 Dialogue 清清：我連假回老家掃墓，帶了一些草仔粿回來，你要不要吃吃看? Qīngqīng: Wǒ liánjià huí lǎojiā sǎomù, dài le yìxiē “tsháu-á-kué” huílái, nǐ yào bú yào chī chī kàn? 華華：哇！看起來就很好吃。這是你們家自己做的嗎？ Huáhua: Wa! Kàn qǐlái jiù hěn hǎochī. Zhè shì nǐmen jiā zìjǐ zuò de ma? 清清：對啊，是我阿姨親手做的。每年清明節她都會做。 Qīngqīng: Duì a, shì wǒ āyí qīnshǒu zuò de. Měinián Qīngmíng jié tā dōu huì zuò. 華華：你阿姨手藝真好！看起來好像外面賣的。 Huáhua: Nǐ āyí shǒuyì zhēn hǎo! Kàn qǐlái hǎoxiàng wàimiàn mài de. 清清：口味有鹹的，也有甜的。 Qīngqīng: Kǒuwèi yǒu xián de, yě yǒu tián de. 華華：聞起來好香！裡面包什麼？ Huáhua: Wén qǐlái hǎo xiāng! Lǐmiàn bāo shénme? 清清：鹹的是蘿蔔絲的，甜的有紅豆口味和綠豆口味的。你想要哪種？ Qīngqīng: Xián de shì luóbo sī de, tián de yǒu hóngdòu kǒuwèi hàn lǜdòu kǒuwèi de. Nǐ xiǎng yào nǎ zhǒng? 華華：我不挑食，哪種都可以，你幫我選吧。謝謝你跟我分享！ Huáhua: Wǒ bù tiāoshí, nǎ
RSS