Monterey Bay 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 […]

A remote camera captured an IceNode prototype deployed below the frozen surface of Lake Superior, off Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, during a field test in 2022. The three thin legs of the robot’s “landing gear” affix the prototype to the icy ceiling. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Iceworld Exploration: Underwater Droids Venture Deep Below Polar Ice

by Keith CowingAugust 30, 2024August 29, 2024

Called IceNode, the project envisions a fleet of autonomous robots that would help determine the melt rate of ice shelves.