New | Chinese scientists discover new family of barnacles during expedition to Okinawa

Chinese scientists discovered a new family of barnacles in the East China Sea, and their existence suggests there might be a “Noah’s Ark” of such creatures in the deeper seabed.

Barnacles are usually found in shallow waters. They attached themselves permanently to a surface such as a ship bottom and feed on particles drifting in the water.

But some barnacles also live in extreme environments, such as hydrothermal vents found in places like the Mid-Atlantic ridge.

Hydrothermal vents are often rich in minerals while warming the frigid waters around them, providing a hotbed for life in the deep sea in total darkness .

But the hydrothermal vents also became a hotbed for debate among scientists.

Some believed they provided a shelter for ancient life forms and want them saved from destruction during catastrophic events. Others, however, argued that the life around hydrothermal vents were not old at all because they were constantly invaded and replaced by species from the outside.