Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute Archives - Astrobiology

Monterey Bay Aquarium biologists worked alongside MBARI's skilled submersible pilots to gently collect animals for the Monterey Bay Aquarium's groundbreaking deep-sea exhibition, Into the Deep/En lo Profundo. Image: George Matsumoto ©2026 MBARI

Analog Studies, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Ocean Planet Recon: MBARI and Monterey Bay Aquarium Complete Expedition to Guide Seamount

by Keith CowingJune 2, 2026June 2, 2026

Editor’s note: When we start to mount Astrobiology missions to explore ocean worlds we’ll need ways for our robotic submersibles to observe and interact with whatever life forms they may […]

Remotely operated vehicle MiniROV in a simulated environment during the training of the Deployable AI developed as part of the Deployable Artificial Intelligence for Exploration and Discovery in the Deep Sea project. Image courtesy of Deployable Artificial Intelligence for Exploration and Discovery in the Deep Sea/MBARI. Download largest version (jpg, 405 KB).

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Deployable Artificial Intelligence for Exploration and Discovery in the Deep Sea

by Keith CowingFebruary 18, 2026February 18, 2026

Editor’s note: When we start to mount Astrobiology missions to explore ocean worlds we’ll need ways for our robotic submersibles to observe and interact with whatever life forms they may […]

MBARI researchers have described a remarkable new species of nudibranch from the depths of the midnight zone. Nicknamed the “mystery mollusc,” Bathydevius caudactylus swims with a fingered tail, uses a cavernous hood to capture food, and glows with brilliant bioluminescence. Image: © 2014 MBARI

Away Teams & Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

MBARI Researchers Discover A New Life Form DEEP In The Sea

by Keith CowingNovember 18, 2024November 18, 2024

MBARI researchers have discovered a remarkable new species of sea slug that lives in the deep sea. Bathydevius caudactylus swims through the ocean’s midnight zone with a large gelatinous hood […]

FathomVerse is a new mobile game available on the App Store and Google Play that seeks to inspire a new wave of ocean explorers. Featuring immersive imagery, engaging gameplay, and cutting-edge science, FathomVerse allows anyone with a smartphone or tablet to take part in ocean exploration and discovery. Image: © 2024 MBARI

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Analog Studies, Apps - Games, Away Teams & Field Reports, Enceladus, Europa, Exploration Gear & Tech, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Video, Audio, Webcasts, Podcasts, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

FathomVerse Mobile Game Inspires A New Wave Of Ocean Exploration

by Keith CowingMay 2, 2024May 2, 2024

Editor’s note: What would be interesting to see is an add-on to this cool MBARI app that allows you to imagine biota in the seas of Europa and Enceladus and […]

Away Teams & Field Reports, Europa, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

From Monterey Bay to Europa

by Keith CowingDecember 1, 2016March 25, 2023

If you think operating a robot in space is hard, try doing it in the ocean. Saltwater can corrode your robot and block its radio signals. Kelp forests can tangle […]

Mapping the Demise of the Dinosaurs

by Keith CowingDecember 13, 2013

About 65 million years ago, an asteroid or comet crashed into a shallow sea near what is now the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. The resulting firestorm and global dust cloud […]