Various firsts achieved in deep-sea expedition

Chinese scientists have identified 7,564 species of prokaryotic microorganisms — 89.4 percent of them previously unreported — during an expedition to the hadal zone, the deepest part of the ocean floor.

The diversity of the microorganisms is comparable to the total number of already known marine microorganisms worldwide, researchers said.

The expedition, which was conducted using China's self-developed human-occupied vehicle Fendouzhe, also marked several milestones in deep-sea exploration. It included the first human descent to the deepest point of the Yap Trench in the western Pacific Ocean, a region nearly 9,000 meters deep where multiple ocean currents converge. The area is closely linked to the human living environment and climate change, scientists said.