These sponges survive the deep sea by feeding on remains of long-dead animals | Science

It can be hard to find food in the central Arctic Ocean. The water is frigid and the surface is blanketed in ice, making it nearly impossible for the tiny organisms that power many marine food chains to photosynthesize. Now, researchers have unraveled how a gigantic, newly discovered sponge garden gets around the lack of … Read more

Arctic Sponges Survive Dark, Hostile Conditions by Feasting on The Extinct

The bottom of the Arctic Ocean, below the permanent sea ice, is not a friendly place for life. Down there in the cold dark, nutrients and vegetation are sparse; it’s expected that any life that does manage to eke out an existence under these conditions would be likewise thin on the ground.   Scientists were … Read more

Surprise Fossil-Munching Sponges Found in Arctic Seafloor Wasteland

Entombed below a thick layer of sea ice year-round and nearly devoid of nutrients, the central Arctic Ocean is a frigid wasteland where few creatures are capable of surviving. That is why researchers at Germany’s Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) and their colleagues were so surprised to spot a thriving community of velvety deep-sea sponges below … Read more