Red Sea Archives - Astrobiology

A scanning electron microscopy image of microbe samples taken from the vents. CREDIT Sharifah Altalhi

Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Microbes At Red Sea Vents Show How Life And Geology Shape Each Other

by Keith CowingOctober 23, 2025June 10, 2026

A new study led by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST; Saudi Arabia) Professor Alexandre Rosado has revealed an unusual microbial world in the Hatiba Mons hydrothermal vent […]

Thin-section micrograph illustrating micritic crust at surface of stromatolite -- GSA

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release

New Vestiges Of The First Life On Earth Discovered In Saudi Arabia

by Keith CowingJune 3, 2024June 3, 2024

Stromatolites are the earliest geological record of life on Earth. These curious biotic structures are made of algae carpets growing toward the light and precipitating carbonates.

A photo from the expedition of the hydrothermal vents -- KAUST

Away Teams & Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

First Ever Hydrothermal Vent Fields Found In The Red Sea

by Keith CowingJanuary 11, 2024January 10, 2024

KAUST scientists have reported the first observations of active hydrothermal vent fields in the Red Sea. The total area of these active fields on Hatiba Mons, a major volcano in […]

Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Rare Deep-sea Brine Pools Discovered In The Red Sea

by Keith CowingJuly 12, 2022February 4, 2023

Researchers at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science recently discovered rare deep-sea brine pools in the Gulf of Aqaba, a northern extension to the […]