Culture

Watch Us Roam Virtual Deep Seas With Real Oceanographers

WIRED will be playing Subnautica: Below Zero and talking about ocean—and space—exploration with scientists from NOAA and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.
subnautica world
The survival game captures what it might be like to be stuck on an ocean world covered in ice.Courtesy of Unknown Worlds

We love deep-sea science here at WIRED, and we have the coverage to prove it. From mysterious, barely visible fish and high-tech deep sea submersibles to virtual reality tours of the ocean floor and ocean conservation challenges, it's safe to say we like thinking about the worlds that exist beneath the sea and what worlds may await us in the watery depths beneath the ice of Jupiter's moon, Europa, and Saturn's moon, Enceladus. 

Since we can't visit those places yet, we'll have to explore the in-game seas of Subnautica: Below Zero, launching officially on Friday May 14. The survival game captures what it might be like to be stuck on an ocean world covered in ice, surviving by making use of the resources available in its rich deep-sea environment. But who better to tell us what the real challenges of ocean exploration look like, especially what the challenges of ocean exploration on an entirely different planet might be, than the specialists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, who are doing that kind of research right now? 

We asked them to tag along on our virtual dive, talk to us about the research expedition they're about to leave for, what its like to control robotic submersibles in ocean environments, what they're hoping to find or learn from their trip, and what it might be like to build and control similar submersible robots for ocean exploration on other worlds. Sound like fun? Join us here or directly on our Twitch channel, at 7 pm Eastern time, 4 pm Pacific.

More Great WIRED Stories