A single-celled organism that can recombine into a much larger multicellular whole, capable of changing shape and density at any time. And, above all, endowed with an extraordinary intelligence. This animal is the YRR, “an organism unlike anything we have seen on Earth,” says Dr. Sigur Johanson.
And for good reason: we are in the series Abyssadapted from the novel by Frank Schätzing, which is broadcast every Monday in June on France 2 [ou à voir d’une traite ici]and which 20 minutes is a partner. The pitch? After years of pollution and climate change, a mysterious force from the depths uses sea creatures to declare war on humanity. This force, you guessed it, is the YRR.
Immense and deep territories
Science fiction, yes, yes. Although… Even if he does not imagine that such an organization exists, Ghislain Bardout is quite unable to provide proof. “The oceans keep a huge part of mystery as they are little known, which necessarily feeds our imaginations”, points out the explorer. With Emmanuelle, his wife, he is at the origin of the missions Under the Pole, which multiply dives in the mesophotic zone of the oceans. “Between 30 and 200 meters deep”, slips Ghislain Bardout. Where the light no longer passes. Another world already, which can give rise to magical encounters. With the Greenland shark, a mastodon with an estimated lifespan of 400 years. Or organisms capable of bioluminescence (producing their own light).
However, by remaining in this mesophotic zone, Under the Pole was only able to explore a micro-fragment of these abysses. “When on earth, the average altitude is about 800 meters, the average depth of the oceans is 3,800 meters and can peak at 11,000 meters in thea Mariana Trench [Pacifique]the deepest known to date”, compares Sarah Samadi, Professor at the National Museum of Natural History (MNHN).
Explorations distorted by our interests
Add the fact that the oceans cover 70% of the Earth’s surface and you have an idea of the vastness of the abyss. For a long time, man thought them shallow, flat and desert. “The exploration of the depths really started from the 19th century, when people began to want to deploy telegraph cables on both sides of the Atlantic”, recalls Sarah Samadi. This will often be the case later, “the exploration of the abyss responding above all to military, geopolitical and/or economic interests”.
The latest example to date: the hope of certain States and industrialists to one day be able to extract copper, zinc, gold, cobalt and other strategic metals that would contain the abyss. “Since the 1970s, the nodule plains of the Eastern Pacific, one of the promising areas identified, have been regularly studied to determine the economic interest of this exploitation, but also the impacts it would have on biodiversity, explains Sarah Samadi. We thus begin to know many things about these plains. Many species have been found and have yet to be described. »
Yet these abyssal plains of the eastern Pacific are most certainly the most deserted place on Earth. “It is in any case where there is the least production of micro-algae on the surface, and therefore the least to eat,” continues Sarah Samadi. In other words, we should find an even greater biodiversity in the other abyssal plains of the globe. But we are talking about huge territories for which, this time, we know almost nothing. »
“90% of marine species remain to be discovered”
The professor from the Museum is certain: “90% of marine species have yet to be discovered”. Not just bacteria and other microscopic organisms, but also gorgonians, corals, starfish, crabs, and even bigger fish. Sarah Samadi and Ghislain Bardout quote the giant squid, long the subject of myths and legends fueled by the stories of sailors. “We know that it exists, that it lives in great depths and can reach between 10 and 13 meters in length, says Sarah Samadi. But we hardly ever saw him [un spécimen a par exemple été filmé début janvier au large du Japon] and we know almost nothing about him. »
This is just one example, and the abyss regularly gives rise to astonishing discoveries. The teacher talks about coelacanth, a fish known to be a fossil and thought to have been extinct millions of years ago. Until a living specimen was found off the coast of South Africa in 1938. This is another certainty of the scientist: “The greatest discoveries taxonomic (description of new species) to come will be in the abyss”. “The biodiversity observed on the continents is ultimately quite recent,” she continues. We observe the branches of the tree of life which have succeeded in adapting to terrestrial environments from 500 million years ago, she explains. But there are others that have never come out of the ocean, whose existence we may not even know yet, as the abyss is so inaccessible to us. »
A biodiversity that we could lose even before being discovered?
It’s not about to change, listening to Ghislain Bardout. “Even if technologies are constantly evolving, underwater exploration will remain highly complex and extremely expensive for a long time to come,” predicts the diver. Is there then a risk of losing this marine biodiversity even before having discovered it? It’s the risk. “Even if it is more difficult to see the impacts, unlike a forest that is razed, marine ecosystems are also under significant pressure, recalls Ghislain Bardout. From climate change to the overexploitation of resources, including the pollutions. »
From there to imagining underwater species joining forces to take revenge on man, as in Abyss, with the YRR as conductor? Without slipping into anthropomorphism, which would consist of lending nature a consciousness and functioning similar to ours, Ghislain Bardout and Sarah Samadi offer an interesting metaphor. “I am convinced that the oceans are already sending us signals that we largely ignore,” says the diver. And yes, if marine biodiversity collapses, the backlash will be terrible. »