A huge iceberg broke off Antarctica. What scientists found under it startled them.

[Zorro]

Crustaceans, snails, worms and fish are among the dozens of creatures that deep-sea explorers discovered under a massive Antarctic ice shelf.

Researchers were working off the coast of Antarctica when it happened: A gigantic iceberg about 19 miles long cracked off the ice sheet on Jan. 13, revealing a swath of ocean that had not seen daylight in decades.

The team aboard a research vessel called the Falkor (too) decided to search the seafloor under the freshly exposed ocean. No human had ever explored the deep sea there before.

“It’s the kind of event that when it happens, you leave whatever you’re doing,” said Patricia Esquete, the expedition’s chief scientist.

Still, expectations weren’t high. The scientists didn’t think much life could thrive tucked under such a thick blanket of ice.

But what the team members found under the iceberg surprised them: giant sea spiders, octopuses, ice fish, corals and sponges, including a vase-shaped one that might be hundreds of years old. In total, the researchers believe they will be able to identify dozens of new species from the expedition.

https://wapo.st/41HQqqp

[Passages]

1. Fantastic, some good news.

[mcar]

2. So interesting. Thanks.

[MagickMuffin]

3. Paywall, went to see pics

I’ll just google search for them instead.

[LiberalArkie]

9. Just type into your search bar the title of the article

https://www.msn.com/en-us/science/ecology/a-huge-iceberg-broke-off-antarctica-what-scientists-found-under-it-startled-them/ar-AA1BjqH6

[FakeNoose]

13. It's a "gifted" article according to Washington Post

Normally I get the paywall screen too, but I used the OP link and I was shown the entire article with photos.

[ananda]

4. The inheritors of the world.

With climate change veering towards very hot,
science warns that, historically, the only winners
are small life forms.

[Xavier Breath]

5. My first guess was 'Hoffa?' but the science stuff is nice too.

[milestogo]

7. I was going to say Titanic survivors

but I guess not.

[boston bean]

6. Shut it down, it's too woke!

Do I have to say it? SARCASM PEOPLE. SARCASM!

[LudwigPastorius]

8. I was hoping for a Stargate.

Disappointed...

[moniss]

10. I always wondered about the guy with a

Snirkles bar embedded in his forehead.

[chouchou]

11. I lost my house keys years ago....probably under there.

[YoshidaYui]

12. I WANT TO SEE THIS HEAD LINE!!!

SCIENTISTS FIND A MASSIVE MILLION YEAR OLD KAIJU ENCASED in ice, and want to clone it...

[lastlib]

14. I had "lost socks from the laundry" on my bingo card.......

Well, another day.......