The South Pacific Gyre is the spot in the sea that is farther from land than any other, so devoid of nutrients, life and even continental dust that it is considered "the deadest spot in the ocean", said Dr Steven D'Hondt, a geomicrobiologist at the University of Rhode Island.
Yet some 6,100m beneath the surface, microscopic creatures have not only found a way to eke out a living, but they have also managed to weather the inhospitable conditions for many millions of years.
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