Scientists Discover a Curious 'Dragonball' Structure Deep in The South China Sea

Scientists have identified a previously unknown microscopic structure, dubbed a “dragonball,” in the digestive cells of the deep-sea mollusc Chaetoderma shenloong. Found in specimens from methane seeps in the South China Sea, the structures contain hundreds of bacteria and more than 20 membrane layers. Researchers say they may be specialized organelles that enable chemosynthesis, allowing organisms to produce organic matter using chemical energy rather than sunlight.