What does the dark, deep abyss hide within itself? And what impact does the aquatic ecosystem have on our daily lives? Popular marine biologist Helen Skiles knows the answers to these questions. The depths of the sea are fraught with many wonders, but all of this will soon be gone. Perhaps, along with our planet. The book's author, a marine biologist, talks about the most amazing part of our planet, whose topography is even more varied and extreme than its terrestrial counterpart. It is a kingdom of gelatinous creatures so fragile that they disintegrate at the touch and ooze through your fingers when you try to pick them up. This is colossal pressure that can destroy the cells of our body, but does not cause any harm to deep-sea creatures. Billions and trillions of small luminous fish live here, which constantly scurry in schools up and down. Worms live here more than two and a half meters long, crabs dance, and snails grow armor that is not inferior to metal armor. Fantastic creatures living in the depths capture and sequester huge amounts of carbon that would otherwise poison our atmosphere; and new, undiscovered bacteria promise to create powerful new drugs. But deep-sea mining, fishing, oil drilling - all this will soon completely destroy the marine ecosystem, leaving our world vulnerable and empty. In this book, Helen Skiles explains in clear and accessible language why the ocean is so important and valuable to the planet and our survival. The publishing layout is saved in PDF A4 format.