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Camera at the deepest point of the ocean made disturbing discovery

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Camera at the deepest point of the ocean made disturbing discovery

The discovery was made in the Challenger Deep, located in the Mariana Trench

A camera has made a mind-blowing discovery at the deepest point of the ocean.

Only five percent of the sea has actually been explored by mankind, which is a pretty daunting concept.

While scientists are consistently trying to learn more about our planet's oceans, sometimes discoveries are made which are completely unexpected.

And this is exactly what happened when researchers sent a camera down into the deepest part of the Earth's oceans - the Challenger Deep, located in the Mariana Trench, which is 35,000ft below sea level.

To grasp just how deep the region is, if Mount Everest was placed within the Challenger Deep, it would still be covered by a mile of water.

Instead of a gigantic squid or a sunken shipwreck, a single glass beer bottle was discovered at the bottom of the region, discovered by oceanographer Dr Dawn Wright, who shared her findings on social media.

Alongside a photo, she wrote: "What did we see upon 1st touching bottom, at 10,900+m depth w/in #ChallengerDeep? A BEER BOTTLE!"

Dr Wright then stressed how this find was disturbing rather than funny, saying: "Further evidence that we MUST as humanity do BETTER by the ocean and for the health of habitats that we ourselves share & ultimately depend on!!! #ThereIsNoPlanetB #DeeperSeaDawn."

But ever since the image of the beer bottle floating in the abyss was posted online, people have had one burning question: How is the glass bottle withstanding the pressure associated with this kind of depth?

The team found a beer bottle (Caladan Oceanic)
The team found a beer bottle (Caladan Oceanic)

One asked: "So you telling me that one bottle can withstand more pressure than the specialised submarine?"

One poster explained, writing: "'Why wasn’t the bottle crushed?' The bottle is open. Water pours inside and balances the difference in pressure between the ocean and the inside of the bottle.

"Somewhat related, but if you grab an egg in your palm and squeeze as hard as you can without digging your fingers into the shell, you probably won’t be able to break it because of its robust shape."

Meanwhile, another person added: "If the pressure were equal inside and out, there would definitely NOT be enough pressure to crush the glass. Why? Because if pressure is equal inside and out, there is effectively NO pressure pushing in on the glass.

"If however, the bottle were sealed at atmospheric pressure and sent down into the Mariana Trench, I would say that it almost definitely would crush the glass due to the differences in pressure."

The bottle was found at the deepest part of the world's ocean (Getty Stock Image)
The bottle was found at the deepest part of the world's ocean (Getty Stock Image)

There are, of course, living creatures residing in the deepest parts of the oceans, including animals with ancestors older than the dinosaurs.

Recently, scientists discovered a bluntnose sixgill shark, which the Natural History Museum refers to as the 'oldest-known group of modern sharks'.

Also known as the cow shark, the sixgill is considered rare among oceanographers. Which meant that when deep sea scientists at the Schmidt Ocean Institute happened across one, while conducting research near the Pacific Ocean's Phoenix Islands, they were pretty happy.

The animal also has six instead of the standard five gills found on sharks such as Great Whites or Hammerheads, which makes spotting one even more exciting for researchers.

National Geographic refers to the extra gill as a 'relic from the ancient conditions they evolved in'.

Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Image

Topics: News, Environment