Into the Future INTRODUCTION | LIFE IN EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS | EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE? | VENTS AROUND THE WORLD | DEEP-SEA OBSERVATORIES Click to enlarge Deep-sea observatories arrayed with a variety of instrument will allow scientists to monitor events and processes at the seafloor—continuously and over longer time periods. Deep-submergence vehicles will play an important role by uploading power and downloading data from underwater docking stations. (Illustration by E. Paul Oberlander, WHOI Graphic Services) The biggest and best discoveries don’t simply answer questions you've always wondered about. Usually, they also open up possibilities and raise questions that you never thought of before. Imagine that one day you find a door to a basement that you never knew was there. Suddenly your house doesn’t end where you thought it did. Was the basement always there? How big is it, and what does it look like? Is there anything—or anybody—down there? If so, how long have they been there, what are they like, and what are they doing? The discovery of hydrothermal vents on the seafloor 25 years ago solved some major puzzles and created new ones to solve. The quest doesn’t end with a great discovery. It keeps going—in new, exciting, and different directions that will lead to revolutionary discoveries in the future.  Major Discoveries Life in extreme environments