Marine biologists working off the Mariana Trench have identified three new species of gigantic deep-sea isopods, challenging our understanding of how animals evolve in extreme environments.
These car-sized crustaceans, thriving at depths of 7,000 meters, possess unique adaptations that don't follow conventional evolutionary patterns. Their highly efficient metabolisms allow them to survive on one meal for up to a decade.
The discovery suggests parallel evolution may be more common in deep-sea environments than previously thought, with similar adaptations emerging independently across different species.
Perhaps the abyss has more lessons to teach us about life's possibilities than the surface world.