"Tis the Dreamer whose dreams come true! —Rudyard Kipling

On Friday, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute embarked on its sixth expedition in conjunction with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ocean Exploration Program. The two week adventure returns to the famous beginnings of deep sea discovery, when scientists in 1977 "found seafloor vents gushing shimmering, warm, mineral-rich fluids into the cold, dark depths... the vents were brimming with extraordinary, unexpected life."


This discovery made a 180º change in how we understand how life can be sustained - even at extreme depths were sunlight never reaches: instead the heat and chemicals from within the earth supplied the ecosystem's energy. Alvin, the submersible who originally made these historic dives with the likes of Robert Ballard and Ken Macdonald, is taking the science community back to see what's changed in the Galapagos Rift during the last twenty-five years.


Dive into the new expedition at the Galapagos Rift.


Go down in the Alvin with Discovery freelance writer, Hannah Holmes.