In the crushing darkness of the northwest Pacific Ocean, a China-led deep-sea expedition has pulled back the curtain on the deepest life habitat ever known to exist: thriving colonies of tubeworms and molluscs. The improbable hidden oasis of life – in numbing waters up to 9,500 metres (31,167 feet) deep – synthesises energy by feasting on chemicals such as hydrogen sulphide and methane that seep out of faults in the tectonic plate. The remarkable creatures have bypassed the need for sunlight....