Cold seeps are seafloor manifestations of methane-rich fluid migration from the sedimentary subsurface to the seabed and into the water column, and ultimately, some of the methane may even reach the atmosphere (Boetius and Wenzhöfer 2013). Marine hydrocarbon seeps are common features of continental margins worldwide (Suess 2020). Because of their re…
On a recent visit to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, I lingered a little while longer than usual in my favorite exhibit: the Sant Ocean Hall (see oppo-site page). Wandering with no telos in mind, I let myself bask before bioluminescent beings, tremble in awe at the improbability of the extremophiles, and gaze up like a supplicant at the model of Phoenix, a North Atlantic…