DEEP-SEA VENTS

In 1977, scientists discovered, miles beneath the sea, cracks in the earth's crust spewing out superheated water and chemicals, supporting astonishing life forms that are not dependent on light from the sun. These deep-sea vents—named ``Garden of Eden'' and ``Dandelion Patch''—host life forms that survive at temperatures of 400 degrees F. and thrive in an environment of hydrogen sulfide, lethal to most other life. The discoveries are causing scientists to rethink the origins of life and speculate on new solutions to pollution. Aiming at younger readers than R. V. Fodor's The Strange World of Deep-Sea Vents (1991), prolific science writer Waters describes the scientists' vehicles, explorations, findings, and speculations; his book is not only more accessible than Fodor's, it's also more current (to summer 1992), while the many color photos showing submersibles, odd life forms, and such intriguing phenomena as ``black smoker chimneys'' and ``sulfide knees'' make it especially attractive. The cutting edge of science for middle grade readers. Splendid! Index. (Nonfiction. 9-12)