What new species was discovered during a deep-sea mining test?

The answer

In a twist of irony, deep-sea mining equipment tests in 2025 led to the discovery of previously unknown species living in the very habitats the mining would destroy. During industrial trials to harvest polymetallic nodules - mineral-rich rocks containing cobalt, nickel, and manganese needed for batteries - researchers documented new organisms that had evolved to live on and around the nodules themselves. Some species used the nodules as attachment points, shelters, or food sources. The discovery intensified the debate over deep-sea mining: the minerals are needed for the clean energy transition, but extracting them could devastate ecosystems that took millions of years to develop and harbor species found nowhere else on Earth.