Crustaceans’ Eyes Severely Damaged by Deep Sea Diving Visits

Marine biologists are inadvertently blinding many crustaceans on their visits to deep sea hydrothermal vents, British researchers report in today’s Nature. Thriving communities exist around these vents, which are heated by molten rock, or magma, below the ocean floor. The animals use hydrogen sulfide emitted by the vents as an energy source. Because the ocean floor is very dark, the animals have exquisitely sensitive eyes, according to biologist Peter M.J. Shelton of the University of Leicester.

Submersible vehicles visiting the vents use high-intensity floodlights. Shelton and his colleagues collected specimens from a vent that had previously been visited and found that the creatures’ eyes were severely damaged.

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Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II