Life near deep-sea hydrothermal vents can be pretty metal — literally.
In addition to crushing pressures, total darkness and scorching temperatures, poisonous plumes belch from beneath the Earth’s surface. Exhaust from these underwater chimneys contains particles of heavy metals like iron and manganese, which become toxic at high concentrations. But many animals cozy up next to these vents and form thriving communities, seemingly able to withstand the dangerous metals around them.
Now, researchers have a hint of how one creature survives this hard-core environment. The sea anemone Alvinactis idsseensis has a surprising abundance of genes geared toward producing proteins that move metals into a cellular area where they can’t
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