Deep-sea sponges survive in complete darkness in ways we didn’t know before

By Alessandro N. Garritano, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney; UNSW Sydney
Torsten Thomas, Professor in Microbiology, UNSW Sydney

When we think of marine life, we usually picture colourful coral reefs or dense seaweed forests filled with fish and other critters. The ocean that comes to mind is the one touched by sunlight.

However, most of the ocean is not like that. By volume, roughly 95% of the ocean consists of the permanently dark, cold deep sea. Despite such hostile conditions though, there is life in the ocean’s abyss.

Deep-sea marine sponges are among the organisms that live in these mysterious dark waters. They form “gardens”…

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