Methane seeps are epicenters of biological activity and interactions that makes them a perfect treasure trove of discovery for biopharmaceutical or biotechnical compounds. This image shows a mass of brittle stars on top of chemosynthetic clams right against a methane hydrate site, demonstrating the many interactions that can occur at a macroscopic scale, in addition to the microbial scale.
Methane Hydrate Site
Image courtesy of D. Fornari, WHOI MISO Facility and Ocean Exploration Trust: Cruise NA-095. Download larger version (jpg, 5.9 MB).

Methane seeps are epicenters of biological activity and interactions that makes them a perfect treasure trove of discovery for biopharmaceutical or biotechnical compounds. This image shows a mass of brittle stars on top of chemosynthetic clams right against a methane hydrate site, demonstrating the many interactions that can occur at a macroscopic scale, in addition to the microbial scale.

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