The Ministry of Earth Sciences’ Deep Ocean Exploration team has discovered three new coral species near the Andaman trench, over 6,000 meters below sea level. These corals, found using a manned submersible named Samudraayan, exhibit fluorescent proteins that may have applications in cancer diagnostics. The discovery was published in Nature Ecology. This is India’s first live coral collection mission in hadal zones, and it positions the country among leading nations in marine biodiversity mapping.