Robotic technology helps unlock the hidden microbial world of the deep sea

New technology recreates extreme deep-sea conditions in the laboratory, allowing scientists to grow microbes that would normally be lost when brought to the surface

Scientists have developed a robotic system that can recreate the extreme conditions of the deep ocean in the laboratory, opening up access to some microorganisms for the first time.

The deep sea is the largest microbial habitat on Earth and is home to a huge diversity of microorganisms. Many have evolved to survive extreme conditions, including intense pressure and near-freezing temperatures, developing unusual enzymes and other molecules that could have useful properties, with potential applications ranging from pharmaceuticals and new materials to food and energy.

But researchers estimate that less than 1% of its microorganisms can currently be cultivated using conventional methods.

Due to the extreme conditions they are used to, when samples are brought to the surface, rapid changes in pressure and temperature can kill the microbes before scientists have the opportunity to study them.

Recreating the deep sea in the laboratory

Now, researchers have developed a system called DISCUSS, which recreates and maintains the conditions experienced by microbes in their natural environment throughout the whole journey from collecting samples on the ocean floor to growing and isolating individual microorganisms in the laboratory.

The platform is explained in the journal Nature Sensors.

Zhengguang Liu, Researcher at The University of Manchester, said: “Scientists have long struggled to grow many microorganisms found in nature under laboratory conditions, limiting our understanding of how they live and function. DISCUSS helps address this challenge by recreating and preserving the environments these microbes depend on. By bringing together environmental sensing, digital modelling and robotics, we can study microbial life that has previously been difficult to access, while opening up new possibilities for exploring other extreme environments. We hope this work demonstrates how intelligent engineering systems can help overcome longstanding scientific challenges and enable new discoveries.

“Deep-sea microbes are particularly fascinating because they have evolved to survive extreme pressure, cold and unusual chemical conditions. Their adaptations may offer valuable insights and potential applications in areas such as energy, advanced materials and biotechnology. From an engineering perspective, what excites me most is how intelligent sensing, modelling and automation can help us explore biological systems that were previously difficult to study. I believe this kind of interdisciplinary approach could open up new opportunities, both for understanding life in extreme environments and for addressing broader scientific and technological challenges.”

Growing microbes that depend on extreme conditions

Researchers tested the system using samples collected from a cold seep 1,300 metres beneath the Sea.

The technology combines real-time environmental sensors, advanced robotics and ‘digital twin’ – or a virtual representation of the deep-sea environment – to continually monitor conditions such as pressure, temperature and chemical composition and make adjustments when necessary.

Once the microbes began to grow, cameras and deep-learning technology were used to recognise individual microbial colonies, while robotic tools could select and collect them for further study without removing them from the high-pressure environment.

In total, the researchers recovered 34 microbial isolates, including several that appear to be significantly different from previously identified strains.

Among those were two bacteria adapted to high-pressure environments. One of these, called HP_SR10, depends on high pressure to grow and cannot be cultivated under normal atmospheric conditions.

The system was also able to keep a complex community of microorganisms growing together for 180 days by maintaining the conditions they needed over an extended period.

Unlocking the mysteries of the deep ocean

Beyond discovering and studying new microorganisms, the technology could also help scientists answer fundamental questions about the role microbes play in the deep ocean.

Deep-sea microorganisms are important in global processes such as the carbon cycle. Carbon produced near the ocean surface can eventually sink into the deep ocean, but scientists still do not fully understand how microorganisms living at these depths transform it.

Being able to collect, grow and study a wider range of microbes under conditions closer to their natural environment could help researchers answer these questions investigate these natural processes that happen in the deep sea.

The researchers say the same approach could eventually be adapted to study microorganisms in even deeper parts of the ocean and other extreme environments such as high-temperature hydrothermal vents.

This research was published in: Nature Sensors

Full title: Closed-loop in situ isolation of deep-sea extremophiles through sensor-driven microenvironment preservation

DOI: 10.1038/s44460-026-00128-x

URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44460-026-00128-x