Nobody thought that the shrimp-like crustaceans known as krill could live 9,800 feet beneath the waves off the coast of Antarctica. Usually they hover around 150 meters below the surface, snacking on algae. To go from that depth to 9,800 feet means they have to be quite hardy, capable of enduring crushing pressures from the deep waters. Scientists think the krill learned to dive so deeply to eat algae that has fallen to the sea floor. But this discovery also reveals that life forms can be hardier than we think, and perhaps there are already creatures like these krill living in the icy seas below the ice on Jupiter’s moon Europa. Image via Reuters/NOAA. [Reuters]
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Krill Living in Water 9,800 Feet Below Antarctica Offer Hope for Life on Other Planets
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