THIS HAS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE EXISTENCE OF LIFE ELSEWHERE: More Life Than We Ever Realized Could Survive in The Deep Dark of The Ocean. “Chemosynthesis, as it’s known, was speculated as a potential source of energy for microbes in the 19th century, though wasn’t confirmed until ecosystems surrounding deep ocean hydrothermal vents were discovered in the 1970s. Since then, the means of harvesting energy through the oxidation of inorganic compounds has been considered rare, confined to extreme habitats. But emerging research from the sea suggests this strategy for survival is actually abundant, from pole to pole.”