Sponges within the 300 km2 Trænadypet coral MPA (Marine Protected Area) were mapped using photographic techniques. Three types of sponge communities were identified. The eastern side of the central circular depression was dominated by fan-shaped Phakellia

The deep ocean is one of the last great wildernesses. Waters deeper than 1000 m cover an estimated 62% of the planet. In spite of more than 150 years of exploration, the ocean depths remain virtually unknown. Biological science has so far touched upon

Self-splicing mitochondrial introns are a rarely reported phenomenon in animals, with a sparse and uneven distribution confined to some species of sponges, corals, placozoans, and a single species of annelid. Here, we describe a mitochondrial intron present