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We're Still Learning, 40 Years After the Discovery of Hydrothermal Vents

This "bubblegum coral" is found in the New England Seamounts.
"Mountains in the Sea" scientific party, NOAA, and the Institute for Exploration, http://bit.ly/2wiU379
This "bubblegum coral" is found in the New England Seamounts.

Deep-sea hydrothermal vents were discovered forty years ago, surprising scientists who thought the deep sea floor was devoid of life. Today, we know that there are many different ecosystems on the seafloor, all based on microbes who make energy from chemicals, rather than light.

We speak with Stefan Sievert and Lauren Mullineaux of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution about what we're still learning about hydrothermal vents.

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