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The Eberly College of Science is the home of the basic biological, physical, and mathematical sciences at Penn State. We are proud to be a vibrant scientific community that has emerged as a premier center of education and research. We are proud of our students, our alumni, our staff, and our faculty. We are the Penn State Eberly College of Science and we are making a difference in the world.
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Credit: Charles Fisher, Penn State
Certain mussels and anemones can live near hydrothermal vents.
Unusual Hydrothermal-Vent Animals Explored in the South Pacific
9 June 2009 —An international research team led by Penn State professor of biology Charles Fisher is making discoveries about the physiological ecology of animals that live in extreme conditions near deep-sea hydrothermal vents in the South Pacific Ocean's Lau basin. This area and others in the South Pacific also are being explored by deep-sea mining companies. "Understanding the physiology of the animals and the successional processes of natural communities will be essential in order to evaluate both the potential and actual impacts of commercial activities," Fisher said. "This hydrothermal-vent region is different from those where most of the previous intensive studies of vent animals have occurred -- all the species are different and different types of animals dominate there." More than 1,000 middle-school students interacted with the scientists while they were collecting data during their research expedition during June.
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This page was last updated on 2 July 2009
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