A joint expedition by the Schmidt Ocean Institute and the University of Hawaii has catalogued 14 previously unknown species from the deepest reaches of the Mariana Trench. Among the discoveries: a bioluminescent jellyfish capable of surviving pressures exceeding 1,000 atmospheres, and a new genus of isopod adapted to near-zero temperatures.

These findings underscore the urgent need for deep-sea protections before commercial mining interests can irreversibly alter ecosystems we are only beginning to understand.