nnChinese scientists discovered unprecedented chemosynthetic communities in Pacific trenches deeper than 9km, including fields of tube worms and beds of clams thriving without sunlight. Using the submersible Fendouzhe, they documented these ecosystems consuming chemicals like methane seeping from the ocean floor under extreme pressure. The expedition revealed never-before-seen species across multiple trenches, challenging assumptions about life’s limits in Earth’s deepest environments. Researchers found these complex communities are more widespread than previously thought, with some spanning areas over 2,500km long. Their findings, published in Nature, raise new questions about how organisms adapt to such hostile conditions.