Introduction: A Collaboration That Survived a Pandemic
When the COVID-19 pandemic upended many scientific plans, a surprising outcome emerged from a Zoom call that linked researchers across continents. EMBL Group Leader Gautam Dey spoke with Omaya Dudin, then leading a study group at EPFL, about adapting an imaging technique that could peer into the ocean’s most elusive habitats. What began as a cross-border collaboration during a crisis evolved into a breakthrough that promises to redefine how we study life beneath the waves.
The Challenge: Seeing the Unseen Underwater Life
Marine ecosystems host a kaleidoscope of organisms that are often imperceptible to conventional microscopes. Many marine microbes exist at scales that blur the line between organism and environment, influencing global biogeochemical cycles and climate feedbacks. Traditional imaging could capture still pictures or limited dynamics, but a method with the sensitivity and speed to observe living cells in their native seawater required a rethinking of optics, labeling strategies, and data interpretation.
The Breakthrough: A Novel Imaging Method Takes Hold
By combining high-sensitivity detectors, adaptive illumination, and advanced computational reconstruction, the collaboration developed an imaging workflow that reveals dynamic processes in tiny ocean dwellers with minimal disturbance. The technique enables researchers to watch feeding behavior, predator–prey interactions, and chemical signaling in real time, without relying on heavy staining that can alter cells. The result is a more faithful portrait of life as it exists in the ocean’s fluid environment.
Why This Matters: Implications for Marine Science and Global Health
Understanding the ocean’s invisible life has broad implications. Microbes drive nutrient cycling, oxygen production, and carbon sequestration. By visualizing these processes at high resolution, scientists can refine models of climate impact and ecosystem resilience. Moreover, the collaborative model demonstrated during the pandemic shows that international partnerships can accelerate discovery even under disruption. The same spirit that aided pandemic response—shared data, open communication, and complementary expertise—now accelerates marine research in meaningful ways.
From Lab to Ocean: Translating Lab Light into Ocean Insight
Researchers emphasize that the method is versatile enough to be applied to diverse marine samples—from coastal plumes to open-ocean microhabitats. Early demonstrations highlighted the technique’s ability to track how microscopic communities reorganize in response to environmental stressors such as temperature changes, salinity shifts, and nutrient pulses. This dynamic view opens doors to better forecasting of algal blooms, shifts in microbial networks, and the health of coral-associated microbiomes.
Collaborative Spirit: The Pandemic-Founded Path to Discovery
What began as a Zoom exchange rapidly evolved into a sustained, cross-institution effort. The partnership united EMBL’s measurement science with EPFL’s imaging ingenuity, fostering an environment where ideas could be tested, refined, and scaled. The story underscores a broader lesson: crises can catalyze long-term scientific gains when researchers maintain open channels, share early results, and align on ambitious goals.
Looking Ahead: A New Era for Ocean Observation
As the method matures, researchers anticipate a wave of applications across environmental monitoring, pharmacology, and even the search for novel bioactive compounds produced by marine microbes. By making the invisible visible, scientists hope to illuminate answers to some of the ocean’s most enduring questions—and to do so with a collaborative model that embraced resilience, curiosity, and rigorous science.
