FEATURE: Japan building autonomous probe to explore Challenger Deep

Japan is set to return to the deepest part of the world ocean with a new autonomous probe that will collect samples and also search for marine resources in Japan's exclusive economic zone.The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) is developing the compact, unmanned probe capable of reaching depths of approximately 11,000 meters, part of the abyssal zone in the Mariana Trench's Challenger Deep in the western Pacific Ocean.The autonomous probe will collect living organisms, mud and rocks from a large area for studies on hydrothermal vents, key for understanding early …READ FULL ARTICLE