Alicella gigantea: The 34-Centimeter Giant Amphipod of the Deep

Join us as we explore Alicella gigantea, the 34 cm white amphipod that thrives in abyssal and hadal trenches. We unpack abyssal gigantism, a decade-long lifespan, and a genome around 34.8 Gb that hints at a past whole-genome duplication, shaping its gigantism. With a cosmopolitan distribution across roughly 59% of the world’s oceans and gut microbes that maximize energy from scarce meals, this giant reframes what life can endure in Earth’s deepest darkness.

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