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Comment by chucksta | Hacker News Reader

>Here, on the East Pacific Rise, an underwater robot was able to turn over sections of volcanic crust to reveal a new-to-science ecosystem teeming with worms, snails, and chemosynthetic bacteria that are seemingly thriving despite living in 25°C (75°F) water.

I don't understand, the temp under the sand is 25C/75F? Or is that a typo?

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Either it’s a typo, or I have a bunch of unknown species in my backyard.

Got this from the "better source" link. So its 75F in a cave under the vent I guess

>Using an underwater robot, the science team overturned chunks of volcanic crust, discovering cave systems teeming with worms, snails, and chemosynthetic bacteria living in 75 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius) water.

I still dont see why this would be a surprising find in any way. That teperature seems very pleasant and conductive for life. Maybe the extend of the ecosystem is what is shocking? Why point out a relatively normal temperature then though?

Finding life in those conditions isn't as surprising as finding those conditions in the first place, together with a reproductive cycle that seemingly involves traveling through vent fluids?

> That teperature seems very pleasant and conductive for life.

The article is somewhat confusing but I think the surprising thing is that the ecosystem includes species that are known to be extremophiles that are part of vent ecosystems that have very different conditions than the newly-discovered below-the-vents ecosystems, and which it was previously unknown how they arrived at new vents, almost immediately when the vents form.

75F would kill most ocean life (too hot).

Ocean temperatures can reach the mid 80's F in tropical regions. Do you mean 75 C?

The Florida Keys just recorded 100F https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/25/florida-ocea...

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