How Tiny Crustaceans Survive The Mariana Trench

Hirondellea gigas. Image courtesy of Russ Hopcroft. public domain.






Joel Kontinen

Hirondellea gigas dwells at the bottom of the sea — the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, some 10,911 meters (35,797 feet) down.

This species could not in live so difficult circumstances. However, “Japanese scientists find this crustacean survives the deep sea by using aluminum armor.”

This study was reported in the journal PLOS ONE, in the recent issue (April 4).

Study lead author Hideki Kobayashi also has an Biomimicry or biomimetics attitude. He say that “this newfound biological process might one day lead to an environmentally friendly way to produce aluminum."


The Biomimicry or biomimetics also includes our bones.


Source:

Choi, Charles Q. How Tiny Crustaceans Survive the Crushing Pressures of the Mariana Trench. Live Science (8 May).