Ghostly white giant worms appear to be reproducing under the seafloor where tectonic plates meet

A closeup picture of a cavity beneath the seafloor with several tubeworms lying beside it. Mussels are also visible on the seabed.

Giant worms appear to be breeding beneath the seafloor at hydrothermal vents in the eastern Pacific, near the Galápagos Islands, new research shows.

Scientists previously thought microbes and viruses were the only forms of life in this cramped and inhospitable subseafloor environment, but a Schmidt Ocean Institute exploration last year revealed that giant tube worms also make their home there.