All articles tagged with #jamstec
A JAMSTEC expedition in the Pacific descended to 5,922 meters with the crewed submersible Shinkai 6500 and discovered Bathylepeta wadatsumi, the deepest-living true limpet. The species is named after the sea god Wadatsumi (and a One Piece character), and the find suggests abyssal limpets help cycle carbon on hard seafloor; it also underscores the value of crewed submersibles for revealing life that remote sensors might miss.
A JAMSTEC-led ROV dive in a 385-meter-deep limestone cave near Minamidaito Island, Japan, documented a new bioluminescent coral, Corallizoanthus aureus, that flashes green only when stimulated by touch or chemical cues, with glow localized to polyp tentacles (~515 nm). Analyses suggest an intrinsic luciferin-based mechanism (likely coelenterazine) and no bacterial symbionts; the light may function as a defensive burglar alarm by attracting predators of would-be attackers. This discovery marks the first documented bioluminescence in a deep-sea cave and expands knowledge of cave biodiversity and coral taxonomy, highlighting the value of specialized exploration tech in cryptic habitats.
Japan conducted a deep-sea mining test near Minamitorishima, successfully pumping mud from about 6,000 meters depth rich in rare earth elements, a government-led milestone toward diversifying supply away from China. The test focuses on proving the pumping capability rather than immediate commercial volumes, with plans to scale to hundreds of tons per day in the future, while environmental impacts and international regulatory rules for seabed mining remain contested.