And to test this hypothesis, the researcher blocked off the digestive system in these brown shrimps by applying a dot of glue to the mouth and the anus, which obviously requires good knowledge of the creature’s anatomy, dexterity and waterproof glue... The shrimps were then immersed in the same environment as the abyssal shrimps: sea water, with the addition of a radioactive tracer and a supply of dissolved molecules. “According to our observations, there was a transfer of organic matter through the shell, just like in the abyssal shrimps. This could be due to one of two things: either we didn’t effectively block the digestive system, or the brown shrimp's tegument is permeable contrary to what we have been thinking since the research carried out in the 1960s."

Behind this very in-depth research lie fundamental questions on the way in which organisms evolve and adapt to their environment. Is the abyssal shrimp a descendent of the crustaceans from coastal environments? It would appear that it has adapted to the very particular environment of the abyssal zones, by gradually abandoning a diet based on a digestive system and by developing a symbiotic way of functioning. But there is still a great deal of research to be done on the subject in order to answer such questions.