Robot Submarine Vanishes Under Antarctic Ice Shelf

A bright orange autonomous underwater vehicle named Ran explored the cavity beneath West Antarctica's Dotson Ice Shelf in 2022, mapping 54 square miles of ice with upward-looking sonar. The robot discovered terraces, channels, and teardrop-shaped pits not visible from satellites. When researchers returned in early 2024, Ran went back under and never resurfaced, leaving no debris or signals.