Do deep-sea volcanoes hold the secret to the beginning of life on Earth?

It's the last place you'd suspect life to flourish: in pitch-black, near-freezing water on the ocean floor one-and-a-half miles below the surface. But here, in one of the most hellish environments on Earth, sea life thrives on mammoth superheated volcanic chimneys. Is the key to life's origins locked inside their fiery cores? Join NOVA and a team of explorers on a daring undersea expedition to raise these mysterious chimneys to the ocean surface.

Climb inside the cramped submersible "Alvin," descend into the murky depths and see some of the most spectacular footage ever captured of the ocean floor. Explore volcanic mountain ranges where eruptions and earthquakes continually create a new landscape. See how tube worms, skates, giant spider crabs, snails and fish survive in this harsh environment. And join the risky pulse-pounding mission to bring "black smoker" volcanic chimneys to the surface.