ROVs/Submersibles/Diving Archives

Shrimp called Rimicaris hybisae crawl on the Von Damm Spire, located 7,500 feet (2,300 meters) underwater in the Caribbean. The shrimp live in symbiosis with bacteria. This fascinating ecosystem gives scientists insights into what kind of life could thrive in extreme environme... Credit: Courtesy Chris German, WHOI/NSF, NASA/ROV Jason © 2012 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Extreme Shrimp May Hold Clues to Alien Life

by Keith CowingNovember 24, 2014August 4, 2025

At one of the world’s deepest undersea hydrothermal vents, tiny shrimp are piled on top of each other, layer upon layer, crawling on rock chimneys that spew hot water.

Hydrothermal vents explored during a 2019 expedition to Gorda Ridge off the California Coast on Exploration Vessel Nautilus. Image courtesy of OET/NOAA.

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Commercial & Private Sector, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return

Extremophiles: Untapped Source of Antibacterial Drugs

by Keith CowingNovember 24, 2014August 4, 2025

One of the most mysterious forms of life may turn out to be a rich and untapped source of antibacterial drugs.

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Status Report

Dale Andersen's Field Reports: Lake Untersee, Antarctica 15 November 2014

by Keith CowingNovember 16, 2014June 12, 2026

On The Road to Lake Untersee: We are completely packed up now, using the Everest tracked vehicle, pulling two sleds behind it. The first sled has most of our gear, […]

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Cryobiology, Dale Andersen's Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Icy Worlds, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Astrobiologist Dale Andersen’s Field Report: Lake Untersee, Antarctica 15 November 2014

by Keith CowingNovember 15, 2014June 12, 2026

On The Road to Lake Untersee

Dale Andersen's Field Reports

Dale Andersen's Field Reports: Lake Untersee, Antarctica 10 November 2014

by Keith CowingNovember 10, 2014October 9, 2026

The team is on the ice, having arrived ok at Novolazarevskaya Station yesterday afternoon. We had a solid day of work today getting gear together; the snowmobiles are now up […]

Black smoke from the top of a “chimney” in the Lau Basin in the western Pacific Ocean. Water samples collected by an unmanned submarine revealed how viruses hijack deep-sea bacteria at hydrothermal vents. Image courtesy of MARUM, University of Bremen and NOAA-Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory.

Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Viruses Hijack Deep-sea Bacteria At Hydrothermal Vents

by Keith CowingMay 2, 2014August 4, 2025

More than a mile beneath the ocean’s surface, as dark clouds of mineral-rich water billow from seafloor hot springs called hydrothermal vents, unseen armies of viruses and bacteria wage war.