Testing their mettle: How bacteria in deep-sea vents deal with toxic metal environments

When imagining the deep sea, we often think of a cold, dark and empty wasteland, sparsely populated by monstrous-looking creatures of the deep. But in fissures along the seabed, ocean water superheated by the Earth's magma and enriched with minerals from the crust gushes upwards, forming hydrothermal vents that act as oases for a diverse and unique marine ecosystem.