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Dear Crew,

I am a fourth grader at Cedar mere Elementary School in Reisterstown, Maryland. I would like to know how tube worms reproduce. Also, could you provide a diagram of a tube worm?

From,
Kyle C.

Hi Kyle,

Marine invertebrates that are attached to the seafloor often release their gametes into the water, much like flowers release their pollen in the air. Tubeworms are dioecious, which means they have separate sexes. Males produce sperm, and females produce eggs. Recent research has shown that females may store the sperm in their bodies, and that fertilization begins within the body of the female and is completed after the fertilized egg is released into the water.

There is a diagram of a tubeworm on the "Dive and Discover" Website. Follow the links for "Deeper Discovery", then "Vent Biology", then you will find a link for "Tubeworm Anatomy".

Breea Govenar
ecologist

HI YALL! My name is Rachel, I go to Clover Hill High, and I live in Mosely, Virginia. My teacher told me you might be doing research on cures for certain diseases. If so, which diseases are you focusing on, and what do you expect could help cure these diseases that is on the ocean floor?

Hi Rachel

Thanks for your question, that's a good one. The research I am doing out here right now is very "basic science", meaning that for now I just want to find out what bacteria are living around the hydrothermal vents, and what they are doing there. It is definitely possible that in the future someone will use this information to find cures for diseases, as bacteria are some of the biggest producers of antibiotics etc., that are so important for human health. In fact, the bacteria use these substances to fight each other chemically, kill off competitors, and maintain their territory and access to food. It is just a lucky coincidence that these chemicals can also be used to fight bacteria in the human body. The search for new antibiotics has become especially important since many pathogens (bacteria that cause disease) have recently become resistant to the antibiotics that we use to treat infected patients.

Another possible source of disease treatment comes from the animals that live in the deep sea. There have been quite a few examples of drugs (e.g. those that can be used to treat cancer) that have been found in animals such as sponges and corals. Interestingly, some of these drugs are not made directly by the animals themselves, but by the bacteria that live in them. Many animals are dependent on specialized bacteria (called symbionts) that live in their tissues and help with their nutrition. Here at the deep-sea vents, many of the animals (tube worms, mussels, clams) contain symbionts that help them get energy from the chemical-laden fluids that come out of the vents. The animals can't "digest" the chemicals without their symbionts, in the same way that a cow needs bacteria in its rumen to break down the tough fibers in grass. We don't yet understand how these bacteria interact with each other, and what potentially useful chemicals they may be producing.

Thanks,
Naomi Ward
microbiologist

Do you believe that the scrapings off Rosebud are truly bacteria? It seems to me like they would be, but I am not quite sure. Have you found out yet?

Lauren McCarty
Midlothian, Va.

Hi Lauren

Good question. We have a microscope with us on board the Atlantis, so the first thing we do with each scraping is to prepare a slide, and examine the material using high-powered (1,000x) magnification. So far, all the samples we have examined contain bacteria, which can be identified based on their size and shape. Later, back on land, we will do genetic studies on the scrapings to determine exactly what kind of bacteria are present.

Thanks
Naomi Ward
microbiologist

Hey guys,

My name is Joe and I am a freshman at Clover Hill High school. I was wondering how you got into this way of life. Did you always know that you wanted to go on a research ship. Or was it something that you decided after college? Also, what do you and your coworkers do for fun when you're not diving? Thank you for your time and I look forward to following your expeditions in the near future.

Joe

Hello Joe:

Well, I suspect we all have different stories—but I will tell you mine! I studied environmental sciences as an undergraduate and knew I wanted to work outside. In my final year of university, I took a course in marine chemistry and, as I researched the subject, I saw pictures in books of research vessels. That seemed pretty cool to me—working at sea and traveling to all parts of the world, so I applied to graduate school—and here I am!

What do we do for fun? We have a table tennis tournament going on at the moment, we have exercise equipment, plus we have a great collection of movies on board. There is a library with both reference books and fiction, so we have all sorts of things to do when we are not busy (which isn't much of the time!!).

Thanks for the questions—and keep following Dive and Discover!

Susan Humphris
geologist

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