Robotic dodecahedron searches the deep sea for new species

A robotic dodecahedron can capture fragile deep-sea animals to collect tissues samples and construct three-dimensional scans of the creatures, potentially speeding up the cataloguing of the up to 66 per cent of ocean species that are yet to be described by science. Brennan Phillips at the University of Rhode Island and his colleagues developed the RAD2 sampler, designed to mount on any submersible, to collect fresh tissue samples from living animals in situ. They hope this will reveal more about the creatures than existing techniques, which typically put them under stress as they are hauled from the depths. RAD2 is a dodecahedron with an internal volume large enough to hold a basketball. It is designed to fold and unfold on command to temporarily capture creatures for closer examination, taking a small tissue sample that is preserved directly on the submersible for later genetic analysis.