Microbes have been found thriving in even the deepest spot on the ocean floor.
Research found the Mariana trench, nearly 11km below surface level, contained large microbial ecosystems flourishing despite the inhospitable conditions. Pressure at this depth is 1,000 times more than that experienced at by organisms at sea level; however the microbes have been found to adapt to live in extremely pressurised and cold oceanic water.
They survive by consuming organic matter as it falls to the sea floor, an important link in carbon cycling in the ocean which helps with the degradation and release of carbon dioxide.
Read more at University of Southern Denmark