Ana Hilário, a researcher from CESAM/DBio, was featured on SIC’s “Admirável Mundo Novo” this Saturday, February 2nd, to discuss the deep sea and the international project she co-coordinates, Challenger 150. This project brings together researchers from 140 institutions in 52 countries in a collaborative effort to generate knowledge that will help in the development of more informed and responsible policies regarding the oceans.
During the interview, the researcher shared that a vast portion of the deep sea remains unexplored, with less known about this area — which extends from 200 to 11,000 meters below the ocean surface — than about the moon. She emphasized the critical importance of expanding our knowledge of the oceans, the species that inhabit them, and drew attention to the potentially devastating impacts of deep-sea mining.
Ana Hilário also stressed that “the deep sea plays a fundamental role in regulating the planet,” highlighting its importance not just for marine biodiversity, but also for the global climate balance, reinforcing the message that protecting the oceans is indispensable for the sustainability of our planet.
If you didn’t have the chance to watch it live, view the complete episode here.