Initial Analysis of James Cameron’s Expedition Revealed
Video analysis of film director and explorer James Cameron’s recent expedition in the Deepsea Challenger submersible revealed new understanding of the biodiversity found in the extreme environment of the deep ocean.
Natalya Gallo of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography analyzed 25 hours of Cameron’s film footage from his solo dive into the Mariana Trench as well as dives into the New Britain Trench and Ulithi.
Analysis of the footage revealed a surprising amount of diversity in the cold, sunless, and highly pressurized environment of the deep-sea. Gallo observed an array of creatures, including giant single-celled amoebas, sea cucumbers, and amphipods—a large shrimp-like crustacean.
Doug Bartlett, also of Scripps, said of the analysis, "The Deepsea Challenge expedition made possible the discovery of the deepest examples of gigantism known thus far."
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