Technology & Innovation — December 20, 2014

Scientists Discover Fish Living Deeper Than Any Previously Recorded

Scientists exploring the Mariana Trench observed on video an unknown fish species living 8,143 meters (26,713 feet) below the surface.

Robert Montenegro

An eerie fish species has been discovered by scientists exploring the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean. At 8,143 meters deep, the fish in the video below is now the deepest ever recorded specimen:

Just to help you get an idea of how deep this is, a mountain with an elevation of 8,143 meters would be 9th highest peak in the world. Mt. Everest is 8,848 meters high. According to Rachel Feltman of The Washington Post, the previous record for fish species depth was 7,702 meters:

“How do these ghostly fish manage to live at these crushing depths? Deep-sea fish have higher levels of a chemical called trimethylamine oxide(TMAO). TMAO helps proteins maintain their shape as pressure mounts. Fish shouldn’t be able hold enough TMAO in their cells to live below 8,200 meters, according to recent research by [Dr. Alan Jamieson of the University of Aberdeen] — so these new fish may very well be permanent record-holders.”

Read more at The Washington Post

Photo credit: SOI/HADES

a computer generated image of a human brain.

Thinking

The great free will debate featuring Michio Kaku and Steven Pinker

Who — or what — really controls your mind?

Building destroyed by the Halifax Explosion. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

The Past

The largest accidental explosion of all time

More than a century ago, Halifax suffered an accidental blast one-fifth the size of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

a collage of photos of a man with a hat and a book.

High Culture

6 great books with wildly unreliable narrators

Dive into the twisted truths and concealed realities told by literature’s most unreliable narrators.

a group of five matches on a pink background.

The Well

Signs you’re burned out — and how to bounce back

If you don’t feel better after the weekend, the “burnout paradox” could explain why.

▸

7 min

—

with

Laurie Santos

Starts With A Bang

The trick to instantly identifying JWST images

If you can identify a foreground star, the spike patterns are a dead giveaway as to whether it’s a JWST image or any other observatory.

Up Next

Words of Wisdom

Larry Summers on Lackluster Infrasture and Education Spending

In case you missed it from earlier this week, economist Larry Summers visited Big Think to discuss infrastructure spending and why there’s no better time than now to perform maintenance on our roads, ports, and schools.