Scientists ______________ the deepest fish ever on camera. How have animals adapted to survive in the dark, crushing depths of our oceans?

Last week, scientists __________ a fish swimming at a depth of more than 8km (27,000ft), setting a new record for the _______ ever fish documented by humans.

The unknown type of snailfish of the genus Pseudoliparis was captured by an autonomous camera swimming at a depth of 8,336m (27,349ft) in the Izu-Ogasawara trench, south-east of Japan.

The previous deepest fish recorded was the Mariana snailfish (Pseudoliparis swirei), recorded at a depth of 8,178m (26,831ft) further south between Japan and Papua New Guinea in the Mariana Trench.

The deepest parts of the ocean are known as the hadal zone, named after the Greek god of the underworld, Hades.

For a long time scientists believed that life ______ the ocean depths was impossible due to these hostile conditions, but that perception changed dramatically ______ 1977, when a US research team dropped a remotely operated vehicle 8,000ft (2,440m) ______ the Pacific Ocean to take images ______ hydrothermal vents, where seawater meets magma. They were astonished to find these deep-sea vents teeming with life.

Since 1977, marine scientists _______ up to 600 never-before-seen species around these vents, including a scaly-foot gastropod, (Chrysomallon squamiferum), a type of snail with iron armour, and a new crab named 'The Hoff' (Kiwa tyleri) after US actor David Hasselhoff due to its hairy chest.

[…]

How can creatures thrive in such extreme environments?

Marine animals living in the hadal zone have adapted on a cellular level to enable them to withstand the oppressive conditions.

Creatures such as giant amphipod crustaceans and the Mariana snailfish _____________ high concentrations of organic molecules called piezolytes (the name comes from the Greek word "piezin" which means pressure), which stop their cellular membranes and proteins from being crushed under extremely high pressure.

These molecules counteract the weight of the surrounding water column by increasing the space that proteins take up inside the organism's cells. According to deep-sea biologist Tim Shank at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, "it's like putting the stakes up in a tent".

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230404-how-do-animals-survive-in-the-deep-ocean

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Last week, scientists ______ a fish swimming at a depth of more than 8km (27,000ft),

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