During a 2020 expedition, explorers from the University of Miami and OceanX dove into the Red Sea, nearing the end of their dive without finding anything significant. But as they descended further, the sea darkened, and they noticed odd bits of seaweed floating just above the seafloor. Guided by a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV), they uncovered the mysterious "brine pools" at the bottom, shrouded in an eerie stillness. The team collected water samples from these pools, later publishing their findings in Communications Earth and Environment.
Representative Image Source: Pexels | Francesco Ungaro
OceanX defines a brine pool as an accumulation of extremely salty water at the bottom of the ocean, completely devoid of oxygen. These hypersaline underwater lakes are also called “death pools” as their high salinity is toxic to most sea creatures. Yet, they teem with microbial life, illuminating a fascinating window into the origins of life. During this expedition, the scientists discovered death pools lurking in the Gulf of Aqaba between Saudi Arabia and Egypt, at a depth of 1.1 miles (1.77 km).
According to Live Science, these brine pools first formed when pockets of minerals from millions of years ago dissolved into the sea. Researchers named the pools “NEOM Brine Pools” after the Saudi development company that funded the research. The biggest pool measured about 107,000 square feet (10,000 square meters) in diameter, while three smaller pools measured less than 107 square feet (10 square meters).
Despite the hostile environment of the deep-sea pools, they are throbbing with life. The pools are outlined by swarms of salt-loving microorganisms like shrimps and eels that dart around its perimeter, awaiting to trap any unlucky creature that might unknowingly venture into the deadly saltwater. "At this great depth, there is ordinarily not much life on the seabed," study lead author Sam Purkis, from the Department of Marine Geosciences at the University of Miami, told Live Science. "However, the brine pools are a rich oasis of life. Thick carpets of microbes support a diverse suite of animals."
The ability of these microbes to survive in an oxygen-free environment offers intriguing insights into the origins of life on Earth. "Our current understanding is that life originated on Earth in the deep sea, almost certainly in anoxic, without oxygen, conditions," Purkis said. "Deep-sea brine pools are a great analog for the early Earth and, despite being devoid of oxygen and hypersaline, are teeming with a rich community of so-called 'extremophile' microbes. Studying this community hence allows a glimpse into the sort of conditions where life first appeared on our planet, and might guide the search for life on other 'water worlds' in our solar system and beyond."
Representative Image Source: Pexels | Saad Alaiyadhi
Purkis also explained that these microbial populations could help scientists create some highly effective medicines and cures. "Molecules with antibacterial and anticancer properties have previously been isolated from deep-sea microbes living in brine pools.” He further reflected that these pools, no matter how toxic, preserve a rich archive of the history of earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, and environmental disasters. These hypersaline waters also carry within them records of the past rainfall from more than 1,000 years, he added. This information from antiquity will be helpful for seismologists to assess future risks of these disasters in the surrounding regions.
Rice grain and white rice.Image via 
Person eats rice.Image via 
Washing and rinsing rice. 
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In the depths...Pexels | francesco ungaro
Hope the lights stay on. Pexels | parfait fongang
"That was beyond crazy..." YouTube | 
"This is the stuff of my nightmares..."YouTube | 
"Totally blown away..." YouTube | 
A representative Image of The Atlantic Ocean. Source: Pexels | Kellie Churchman
Representative Image Source: Painting from a series by Ernest Untermann in the museum at Dinosaur National Monument, Utah.
Representative Image Source: VARIOUS DINOSAURS IN GOBI DESERT. Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images
Great white shark pokes its head above water.Image pulled from YouTube video - Photo taken by Geraldine Fernandez
Great white shark swims in the ocean.Image via Canva - Photo by lindsay_imagery
President Donald J. Trump and photo of a forest.
Public united and adamantly opposes Trump’s plan to roll back the Roadless Rule
There doesn't seem to be much agreement happening in the U.S. right now. Differing moral belief systems, economic disparity, and political divide have made a country with so many positives sometimes feel a little lost. Everyone desperately seeks a niche, a connection, or a strong sense of community to which they can feel a "part of," rather than just "apart."
But there seems to be one thing that the country strongly unites over, and that's the "Roadless Rule." With the Trump Administration attempting to roll back conservation policies that protect U.S. National Forests, Americans are saying in harmony an emphatic "No." A nonpartisan conservation and advocacy organization, the Center for Western Priorities, reviewed a comment analysis on the subject. After receiving 223,862 submissions, a staggering 99 percent are opposed to the president's plan of repeal.
What is the 'Roadless Rule' policy implemented in 2001?
The Roadless Rule has a direct impact on nearly 60 million acres of national forests and grasslands. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the rule prohibits road construction and timber harvests. Enacted in 2001, it is a conservation rule that protects some of the least developed portions of our forests. It's considered to be one of the most important conservation wins in U.S. history.
America's national forests and grasslands are diverse ecosystems, timeless landscapes, and living treasures. They sustain the country with clean water and the wood products necessary to build our communities. The National Parks protected under their umbrella offer incredible recreational retreats and outdoor adventure.
Why does the administration want to roll it back?
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins told the Department of Agriculture in a 2025 press release, “We are one step closer to common sense management of our national forest lands. Today marks a critical step forward in President Trump’s commitment to restoring local decision-making to federal land managers to empower them to do what’s necessary to protect America’s forests and communities from devastating destruction from fires." Rollins continued, “This administration is dedicated to removing burdensome, outdated, one-size-fits-all regulations that not only put people and livelihoods at risk but also stifle economic growth in rural America. It is vital that we properly manage our federal lands to create healthy, resilient, and productive forests for generations to come. We look forward to hearing directly from the people and communities we serve as we work together to implement productive and commonsense policy for forest land management.”
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz explained the Roadless Rule frustrated land management and acts as a challenging barrier to action. It prohibits road construction needed to navigate wildfire suppression and properly maintain the forest. Schultz said, “The forests we know today are not the same as the forests of 2001. They are dangerously overstocked and increasingly threatened by drought, mortality, insect-borne disease, and wildfire. It’s time to return land management decisions where they belong – with local Forest Service experts who best understand their forests and communities."
Why are people adamantly opposed to the proposed rollback?
A 2025 article in Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization, expressed its concern over the protection of national forests covering 36 states and Puerto Rico. A rescinded rule allows increased logging, extractive development, and oil and gas drilling in previously undisturbed backcountry. Here is what some community leaders had to say about it:
President Gloria Burns, Ketchikan Indian Community, said, "You cannot separate us from the land. We depend on Congress to update the outdated and predatory, antiquated laws that allow other countries and outside sources to extract our resource wealth. This is an attack on Tribes and our people who depend on the land to eat. The federal government must act and provide us the safeguards we need or leave our home roadless. We are not willing to risk the destruction of our homelands when no effort has been made to ensure our future is the one our ancestors envisioned for us. Without our lungs (the Tongass) we cannot breathe life into our future generations.”
Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, stated, "Roadbuilding damaged salmon streams in the past — with 240 miles of salmon habitat still blocked by failed road culverts. The Roadless Rule protects our fishing economy and more than 10,000 jobs provided by commercial fishing in Southeast Alaska.”
The Sierra Club's Forest Campaign Manager Alex Craven seemed quite upset, saying, "The Forest Service followed sound science, economic common sense, and overwhelming public support when they adopted such an important and visionary policy more than 20 years ago. Donald Trump is making it crystal clear he is willing to pollute our clean air and drinking water, destroy prized habitat for species, and even increase the risk of devastating wildfires, if it means padding the bottom lines of timber and mining companies.”
The 2025 recession proposal would apply to nearly 45 million acres of the national forests. With so many people writing in opposition to the consensus, the public has determined they don't want it to happen.
Tongass National Forest is at the center of the Trump administration's intention to roll back the 2001 Roadless Rule. You can watch an Alaska Nature Documentary about the wild salmon of Tongass National Forrest here:
- YouTube www.youtube.com
The simple truth is we elect our public officials to make decisions. The hope is they do this for all of our well-being, although often it seems they do not. Even though we don't have much power to control what government officials do, voicing our opinions strongly enough often forces them to alter their present course of action. With a unanimous public voice saying, "No!" maybe this time they will course correct as the public wishes.