A PhD candidate in FABI, Francinah Rankoma is one of four students from the Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology at the University of Pretoria to be selected to embark on a 36 day voyage onboard the research vessel SA Agulhas to collect samples and conduct experiments in the south Atlantic ocean. The team hopes to reveal new insights on micro-organisms (bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses) in the South Atlantic. This part of a programme supported by the National Research Foundation and the SA National Antarctic Programme. This project is under the supervision of Prof. Thulani Makhalanyane of the Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics (CMEG) at UP. The four team members are all under quarantine in Cape Town at present before departing on their voyage on 13 September.