SOME send divers in speed boats, others dispatch submersible robots to search the seafloor, and one team deploys a "mud missile" — all tools used by scientists to scour the world's oceans for the next potent cancer treatment or antibiotic.

A medicinal molecule could be found in microbes scooped up in sediment, be produced by porous sponges or sea squirts — barrel-bodied creatures that cling to rocks or the undersides of boats — or by bacteria living symbiotically in a snail.

Premium + Digital Edition

Ad-free access


P 80 per month
(billed annually at P 960)
  • Unlimited ad-free access to website articles
  • Limited offer: Subscribe today and get digital edition access for free (accessible with up to 3 devices)

TRY FREE FOR 14 DAYS
See details
See details