| Do you accept or deny the desirability of on-ship genome sequencing equipment? Nobody knows the sum total of all observations made by mankind. If one can effectively sequence immediately, one can quickly how novel the genome is, and if its not novel, if its a novel lifestage. On the way to land the specimen (if alive) may die, or (if dead) be consumed and rot on the way to land. If the species or closest known artificially sustainable life-form can be identified on-ship, probability to keep it alive can be increased. I don't doubt they are working to identify it, and I wouldn't be surprised if they already did (perhaps on-ship). What disturbs me is major popular science platforms are pro-actively feeding mysticism and trolls by staying mute on the most obvious next logical step. I do not at all assume it is standard: I assume the number of nation-state actors investing resources in exploring the deep sea ecology (to this depth) constitutes a very small list. So by no means can any of this research be taken for granted and assumed standard. The mere activity of this type of research is already non-standard. Genome sequencing equipment has been highly miniaturized and become a lot more affordable. So yes, I do expect a wet-lab on this vessel to actually have genome sequencing equipment. If not, I think the researchers have a right to lament it publically. |
There are practically no scenarios where the effort of making such equipment seaworthy is worth doing, compared to putting samples on ice and waiting until back in port to test.
If something was absolutely urgent it could be transferred to a helicopter. But I can't imagine any scenario that this ship would need that for.