Exploring the deep sea and deep space, with Dr Jeffrey Marlow

The deep sea is one of our final frontiers – along with deep space – and in this episode we talk with Dr Jeffrey Marlow, an American microbiologist who studies the smallest lifeforms that live in its most inhospitable places.

Jeffrey wears many hats – as well as being a scientist and deep-sea explorer, he’s an advisor to the United Nations and works with NASA on robotic missions to Mars.

He talked about what it’s like to explore the deep sea in the modern age, and how the microbes that live at the deepest parts of the oceans may hold the clues to the search for life on other planets.

His latest book, The Dark Frontier: Unlocking the Secrets of the Deep Sea, is published in the UK by Faber & Faber.

Photo: Ana Pantelic

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BBC Wildlife is the world’s longest-running and most popular nature magazine. This episode was hosted by Paul McGuinness and produced by Lewis Dobbs.

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