Famed undersea vent may be lost

From Washington, D.C., at the American Geophysical Union meeting

When scientists last month tried to revisit an undersea hydrothermal vent that was first discovered nearly a quarter of a century ago, they were in for a shock. Instead of finding a thriving ecosystem nourished by warm, mineral-rich waters spewing from the ocean floor, the researchers came across a desolate, almost lifeless place.