Researchers Dive More Than Half a Mile Deep to Study Ocean Surface

The mission went places no human had ever been.

deep sea exploration
A 3D picture of the "Newsuit" made by Dassault Systimes to explore the wreck of the "Moon", the flagship of Louis XIV that sank in 1664 off Toulon, France on October 11, 2012 at sea. (Patrick Aventurier/Getty Images)

A new Atlantic article offers a glimpse into a submarine mission 3,280 feet below the Atlantic ocean’s surface off the coast of the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago. This area of the seafloor had never been visited by humans, and the particularly shallow mantle rock allows submarines to reach biospheres they otherwise couldn’t. The mission, sponsored by the Dalio Ocean Initiative, brought more than 40 scientists from a variety of fields to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge 600 miles east of Brazil. The research may solve unanswered questions about early life on Earth, and understand whether similar conditions could support life on other planets. Analysis of the samples taken during the mission is ongoing.

The InsideHook Newsletter.

News, advice and insights for the most interesting person in the room.