The Wall_Spring 2023_Issue 9

Our world is full of explorers and scientists, eager to discover. However, even with breakthrough after breakthrough, space and our oceans remain a great mystery. Explorers have worked hard and travelled far to gain knowledge about these two places, but we must recognise that we do not have the money nor the people to explore everywhere, so we must prioritise. Growing up with the likes of StarWars and Star Trek, we have created this dream of escaping to distant galaxies and finding new places in which to thrive when we should, instead, be investing in our current home.We should be discovering what it has to offer us before abandoning it. Maximilian Williams, (he/him), S7, argues for the prioritisation of deep-sea over space exploration, arguing that the infinite scientific discoveries that can be made right here on our Earth.

Statistics show that 95% of our own oceans have yet to be explored. More people have dreamt of going to the moon, 300,000 miles away, than going down 6.8 miles to the depths of the ocean. Over 70% of our planet consists of ocean and yet we have only explored 5% of these waters; that’s over two thirds of our world left unexplored. A new wave of deep-sea exploration has emerged, leading to numerous breakthroughs.To list a few: a bacterium found 3,642 feet below the ocean surface amongst 20,000 other bacteria has adapted to life in the ocean and has become a promising drug to treat brain cancer. Huge amphipods crustaceans, discovered in multiple dives to the New Britain Trench, contain promising molecules (called osmolytes) which will be an important step in treating Alzheimer’s.These are only a few of the major discoveries that have been made through deep sea exploration.With 95% of our oceans still to explore, that’s a lot of potential future discoveries. We must find a solution in our own territory, our home for centuries, in the masses of area still to be explored before we even begin to contemplate an escape to another planet.

Interested in finding out more? Read the editors’ supplementary content by scanning the QR code!

Artwork: PhoebeWenlock, S9

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