Hydrothermal vents support crowded animal communities in total darkness because microbes harvest chemical energy. The real system is stranger, and more connected to the surface, than the usual headline suggests.
For a few nights, fixed coral colonies release buoyant egg-and-sperm bundles together. The spectacle begins a hazardous journey rather than guaranteeing reef recovery.
The rings do not turn blue like tiny screens. Microscopic reflectors are already there, and a fast muscular movement uncovers them when the octopus displays its warning.