Samples of globigerina ooze collected by HMS Bulldog, 1860

Sample of Globigerina ooze collected by HMS Bulldog from the ocean bottom, depth 1913 fathoms, between Cape Farewell, Greenland and Hamilton Inlet, Labrador, North Atlantic Ocean, 1860. Globigerina is a genus of planktonic Foraminifera; shells of these tiny animals dominate vast areas of the deep sea floor.

In 1860, the paddle steamer HMS Bulldog was conducting telegraph survey operations around the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland, collecting samples from the sea bottom to investigate the feasibility for a new submarine cable to be laid. The soundings suggested that there might be living organisms at great depths, fuelling an ongoing debate about whether the deep sea did harbour life or whether it was azoic.