Probing the mysteries of life

"Looking through a porthole at the sea, we are surrounded on all sides by vast horizons. No one would believe the wonders and beauty that lie below in the colossal Whittard Canyon.’’

THE words of Hugh O’Sullivan, of NUI Galway, who is among a research group trying to unravel some of the mysteries of life well beneath the waves and whose work may lead to new drugs to help treat diseases such as arthritis.

Researchers from Ireland, Britain, the US and Germany on board the Marine Institute’s Celtic Explorer are using the institute’s remotely-controlled submarine technology to study a wide range of deep-water animals.

The canyon system, 400km south west of Cork and covering an area of 2000 square miles, is home to vulnerable cold-water corals, deep-water oysters and clams. But new research is also revealing a remarkable abundance of rare black corals, which are protected under international legislation.

According to Dr Louise Allcock, of NUI Galway’s Ryan Institute, black corals are particularly vulnerable. They grow extremely slowly and dating studies have shown that some species live for thousands of years.

Mapping the Whittard Canyon system, much of which is below 1500m, is difficult, but the team hopes to discover new information. It is also providing deep-sea sponge samples to scientists searching for novel pharmaceutical compounds. If the chemists find interesting compounds, it could be the first step in the production of new drugs.

The scientists are blogging about their experiences and discoveries aboard the Celtic Explorer. ‘’It is an amazing feeling to write my first blog ever from the midst of the Atlantic Ocean, as I have never been at sea and it is a big change, but now my sea legs are firmly planted and I feel a seasoned sailor,’’ notes Nipun Mahajan, a second year PhD student in NUI Galway.

As he writes, the submarine has completed its dive from 2000m depth and has collected sea cucumbers, sea pens and sea stars, well known for their regenerative capabilities, along with sea sediment. Among their seabed discoveries is a cup from the Aberdeen Line dating to the late 19th century

Hugh O’Sullivan, an NUI Galway undergraduate, blogs at 2am as the submarine equipment glides through the dark abyss photographing and collecting sea life.

See,url=http://scientistsatsea.blogspot.ie]scientistsatsea.blogspot.ie[/url] and on twitter via the hashtag #ce14009