Scientists make troubling discovery at Earth's deepest point

Scientists have made a worrying discovery at the deepest point on Earth, and if you ever needed a reminder of the human race’s staggering ability to litter and spread pollution then this is it.

The Challenger Deep at the bottom of the Mariana Trench is the deepest point on the planet, measuring a staggering 10,780 metres, or 6.7 miles, below sea level.

However, that hasn’t stopped a piece of rubbish finding its way down there – specifically, a beer bottle.

Oceanographer Dr Dawn Wright made the discovery deep below the surface in 2022 and shared her findings online.

The green bottle even had the label still attached to it, and it sat lodged in the sand at the bottom of the Challenger Deep.

Dr Wright posted a photo at the time, writing: "What did we see upon 1st touching bottom, at 10,900+m depth w/in #ChallengerDeep? A BEER BOTTLE!

"Further evidence that we MUST as humanity do BETTER by the ocean and for the health of habitats that we ourselves share & ultimately depend on!!! #ThereIsNoPlanetB #DeeperSeaDawn."

While it’s unclear quite how the bottle was able to get down there on its own, we very much doubt that someone was getting on the beers on the lowest point of the Earth.

Speaking about the find in an interview with the Los Angeles Times: "It had travelled more than 6.7 miles to the darkest depths of the Pacific, label still intact.

"This discarded trash had managed to reach an unsullied part of our world before we actually did - a symbol of how deeply and irrevocably humans are affecting the natural world."

Sign up for our free indy100 weekly newsletter

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings