The drilling ship JOIDES Resolution, the Ocean Drilling Research Vessel, docks at the Port of Colombo, Sri Lanka on Dec. 12. On the ship, 30 scientists from 12 countries including China will puncture through the Earth's crust and into the mantle below for the first time to take rock samples. They hope to answer fundamental questions about what lies below our planet's crust as well as search for signs of life that may be able to survive there. (Xinhua/Zhang Jiansong)