Scientists discovered that certain fungi living in deep-sea hydrothermal vents can break down extra-heavy crude oil, a thick and difficult-to-treat form of petroleum. Among eight fungal species tested, Aspergillus sydowii was the most effective, degrading 40% of the crude oil in laboratory conditions. This research suggests these hardy deep-sea fungi could be used as a natural solution to clean up oil spills in extreme marine environments where traditional cleaning methods don’t work well.