A love of the ocean lured Nicole Dubilier into science; gutless sea worms and their nurturing bacterial symbionts keep her at the leading edge of marine microbiology.

Meet the digestive tract–lacking oligochaete that has fueled Max Planck researcher Nicole Dubilier’s interest in symbiosis and marine science.

The discovery of deep-sea hydrothermal vents along the Galápagos Rift revealed a biological Garden of Eden.

See some of the images brought up from early trips to the Galápagos Rift, where an ecosystem thrives around hydrothermal vents.