Searching For Life – Expedition Highlights Review
The "Searching for Life in the Mariana Back-arc" cruise has wrapped, and with everyone back in port, it is a great time to look back...
MoreHydrothermal Hunt: From ‘Wow!’ to ‘Why?’
When a new dive starts, a huddle of scientists and engineers watch the ROV be gently lowered into the water. Once in, cameras reveal a...
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Thom Hoffman
Mighty Microbes of the Deep Ocean
For more than three billion years, microorganisms have served as engines of Earth’s biosphere, driving essential biogeochemical cycles that shape planetary habitability. Exploration of the...
MoreSearching For Life – Week Two Highlights – First Views
Jaw-dropping views and excitement abound in Week Two's highlight video. Never-before-seen geological and biological behaviours kept researchers and crew on full alert during Remotely Operated...
MoreA Look into Chimneys – Insights from the Hydrothermal Hunt
Some of the most striking features we are seeing on ROV SuBastian’s dives are the unique hydrothermal vent chimneys. Heidi Berkenbosch, PhD Candidate, is working...
MoreThe Animal Life of the Mariana Back-arc
A major focus of our expedition is to explore the diversity of these newly discovered vents. By combining disciplines on this cruise, we have a...
MoreGoing deeper: The Mariana Back-arc
Last week the winds in the south made it impossible to safely launch the ROV at our intended dive sites in the Back-arc. We flipped...
MoreSearching For Life Week One – The Story So Far
Great start for the Searching For Life in the Mariana Back-Arc cruise As our #HydrothermalHunt expedition transitions into its second week, we get to reflect on the...
MoreInsights from Daikoku Seamount
The last few days have been full of dives and discoveries. The team has been piloting ROV SuBastian around Daikoku Seamount, an active submarine volcano with sulfur...
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Thom Hoffman / SOI
Daikoku Dive 2: Sulfur so good
The first day on the job is nerve-wracking for anyone, but when you’re a multimillion dollar ROV venturing into one of the most inhospitable landscapes...
MoreReturn to Daikoku
After two cancelled dives in the back-arc, we transit to our northern-most destination: Daikoku seamount. The winds and seas are calmer there, and it is a...
MoreSetting sail on the Hydrothermal Hunt
Today we set sail from Guam, bound for newly discovered hydrothermal vents -volcanic underwater ecosystems thousands of meters below the sea surface. The pressure, acidity, temperature and darkness...
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