Oceanographers recently unraveled one of the deep Pacific Ocean’s greatest mysteries, with a discovery that is redefining our understanding of marine life’s longevity. Emerging from the shadows of the South China Sea as a true relic of the past, Monorhaphis chuni, a glass sponge, is a staggering 17,000 years old.
Millennial creatures discovered in the ocean
Image: Secrets of the World/Reproduction
One of the world’s most enigmatic and leastexplored marine regions, the South China Sea is now home to the oldest living thing alive Science. The discovery of the glass sponge Monorhaphis chuni marked a turning point in marine research.
But what makes this creature so special? In addition to its incredible longevity, Monorhaphis chuni plays a key role in the deepsea ecosystem. As a natural filter, this sponge removes plankton and bacteria from the water while changing the chemical composition of the marine environment.
One of the most intriguing aspects of Monorhaphis chuni is the impact it has had on the environment over the millennia. Scientists, through a thorough analysis of the rings that make up the sponge trunk, made a remarkable discovery: the concentration of silica, a key component for the health of the oceans, was 12% higher in a period corresponding to the end of the last ice age .
This finding suggests that the increased production of diatoms, which are microalgae that absorb carbon dioxide, may have played a crucial role in reducing atmospheric CO2 and thus contributing to climate cooling.
Also, the Pacific Ocean revealed another surprising secret, this time off the coast of California. Marine ecologist Jeff Goddard made a remarkable discovery when he found living specimens of a mollusk thought to be extinct 40,000 years ago.
These small, translucent shells with bright white, striped feet were first photographed and later identified as a species previously known only from fossil records.
Paul ValentichScott, a mollusk expert, scoured the scientific literature and confirmed that the living specimens and the fossils were the same species. This rare discovery underscores the ability of the ocean the unveiling of longlost mysteries and the importance of continued research in understanding our marine world.