The deep ocean remains one of the last great (0) SCIENTIFIC (SCIENCE) frontiers on our planet. The 1EXPLORE of its darkest regions has been slow, mainly because reaching such depths requires highly specialised equipment. Our 2KNOW of what lives down there is therefore still very limited, and every expedition tends to reveal something new. Many of the creatures found in these waters are so strange that they look almost 3MYSTERY, with glowing bodies and enormous eyes adapted to the darkness. In the 4DEEP of the Mariana Trench, the water 5PRESS is more than a thousand times greater than at the surface, which would instantly crush most submarines. Despite these challenges, recent 6DISCOVER have included entirely new species of fish and bacteria that survive without sunlight. Marine biologists describe these findings as absolutely 7AMAZE and believe they could help us understand how life might exist on other planets. At the same time, scientists warn that deep-sea mining and pollution are already having a serious 8ENVIRONMENT impact on these fragile ecosystems.