Foraminifera samples tell long history of South China Sea

Dozens of scientists from different countries are on an expedition in the South China Sea to explore the formation of the body of water as part of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP). Already, scientists have finished their work at the first drilling station. Submerged 3,770 meters beneath the sea, the ship has successfully drilled core samples from 1,081 meters beneath the sea floor. Foraminifera were identified in the core samples, analyzed on U.S. drilling ship JOIDES Resolution. The single-celled organism, which has lived on the planet for 500 million years, is extremely sensitive to changes in the marine environment, and each species has a unique "life curve" that helps scientists to determine the age of deep-sea sediments.