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Scientists solve mystery of strange noises from the bottom of the ocean
Image source, Getty Images
Scientists think they may have finally solved the mystery of unexplained noises coming from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
The eerie sounds were first heard coming from the Mariana Trench - which is where the deepest known point on Earth is located - ten years ago.
Experts long suspected that an underwater creature might be making the sounds but they weren't certain.
Now, thanks to Artificial Intelligence (AI), researchers have discovered what is responsible!
What did scientists discover?
Image source, Getty Images
The strange sounds were first recorded in the Mariana Trench back in 2014.
Scientists described the noise as a low grumble followed by a high-pitched note.
Researchers suspected that whales could be behind the noise, however the sounds did not match any known whale calls.
So, experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) decided to turn to artificial intelligence to help solve the mystery.
They used AI technology to listen to over 200,000 hours of audio recordings of different ocean sounds.
Their study found that the noise was being made by Bryde's whales, which live in warm and tropical waters and are known to always be on the go.
Experts think the whales use the calls to locate one another as they travel underwater.
What is the Mariana Trench?
Image source, Getty Images
The Mariana Trench is a deep and long underwater canyon located in the west of the Pacific Ocean, south of Japan.
It is where the deepest known point on Earth is located and at nearly 11km deep, you could fit the whole of Mount Everest into it!
Only four people have ever reached the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
In 2019, an American explorer called Victor Vescovo spent four hours exploring the bottom of the trench.
The dive was later confirmed to be 10,972m and Victor broke the former record by 11 metres to became the first person to reach the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean.