The mystery of the lost city
The two co-chief scientists of an expedition leaving on
October 26 from Southampton for the mid-Atlantic briefed FPA members on their
hopes for the multi-million dollar project. Professor Gretchen Fruh-Green and
Dr Beth Orcutt said the six week long expedition will explore the Atlantis
Massif, a 4,000 metre high underwater mountain on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The aim is to use new drilling
technology to collect samples and discover what kind of life exists on and
within the rocks, and how carbon gets transformed in this environment.
The main scientific and technological challenges are three
fold: what kind of life, if any, exists in the rocks? Does the diversity of
life in the rocks vary, and – thirdly - is any life here unique in its
structure or biochemical reaction? The two scientists said they knew what came
out of the system – methane, hydrogen and heat – but the big question was: what
is in there?
They explained that the main focus of their work at sea
would be bagging and tagging tens of thousands of samples of rock; ultimately
they were simply trying to understand more about life on earth by investigating
life forms on the ocean floor.
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