Rimicaris exoculata — an extraordinary animal. A true heroine of the deep.

But what if her world vanished… before we even had the chance to understand it? That’s the urgent question at the heart of RimiOmics, the project led by Nelia da Costa Mestre ⤵️

👥 Today, let’s discover the brilliant minds behind our 2025 awardees!

Deep along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge lives Rimicaris exoculata, a unique shrimp that relies on symbiotic bacteria to survive the extreme conditions of hydrothermal vents. This extreme ecosystem is now under threat from a rapidly emerging industry: deep-sea mining.

🔬 RimiOmics, led by Nelia da Costa Mestre at the University of UAIg, studies the toxic effects of deep-sea mining on these one-of-a-kind deep-sea shrimps.

⚠️ While these abyssal communities have remained untouched until now, mining activities could stir up sediments, causing contamination and disturbing these fragile, unexplored ecosystems.

🎥 She explains it all in just 1 minute — don’t miss it!