The researchers officially named the species Eurythenes plasticus in reference to the plastic it has ingested. A study published early this year in the journal Royal society Open Science looked at the gut contents of amphipods from six deep sea trenches around the Pacific Rim (including the Mariana Trench). // context.canvas.setAttribute("__spector_context_type", arguments[0]); context = this.__SPECTOR_Origin_EXTENSION_OffscreenGetContext(arguments[0]); if (false) { At room temperature, one of the newfound wood-eating enzymes, a type of cellulase, broke down a sheet of plain paper into the simple sugar glucose, which can then be used to make ethanol. return context; Copyright © 2021 CXD MEDIA LTD. All rights reserved, Website design and build by Thinking Juice. Jamieson added he isn't surprised by the finding, since it's already known the amphipods "eat almost anything.". } return context; During his dive, Cameron also saw H. gigas amphipods, which, at up to two inches (five centimeters) long, are huge among their kind—more than twice the size of their common beachside relatives, the sandhoppers. Indian Origin scientist Dr Ram Karan draws a picture for how deep it really is. var spector; Exactly how the giant amphipods of the hadal zone survive the immense pressure is still unknown for the most part. (Also see "Pictures: New Armored, Wood-Eating Catfish Found in Amazon."). 2. For more from our Ocean Newsroom, click here or on one of the images below: //