A tube picking mechanism (10, 210) comprising: a refrigerated chamber (12, 212) containing a lower compartment (18, 218) refrigerated to an ultra-low or cryogenic temperature when the tube picking mechanism (10, 210) is in operation; an upper compartment (20, 220) in which the temperature (10, 210) is warmer than the ultra-low or cryogenic temperature of the lower compartment (18, 218) when the tube picking mechanism (10, 210) is in operation, a bottom portion of the upper compartment being adjacent to a top portion of the lower compartment forming a warm-cold boundary therebetween; a physical partition (24, 224A, 224B) spanning across at least a portion of the warm-cold boundary between the upper compartment (20,220) and the lower compartment (18, 218); a picker plate (28, 228) located in the refrigerated, ultra-low temperature or cryogenic, lower compartment (18, 218), a picker head (35, 235); and a motorized drive mechanism (88,90); characterized by further comprising at least one tube storage rack (26, 282) containing sample storage tubes head by said picker plated (28, 228); said picker head (35, 235) having two or more gripping fingers (32, 32A, 32B, 232, 232A, 232B) extending vertically downward in the refrigerated, ultra-low temperature or cryogenic, lower compartment (18, 218), said pair of gripping fingers (32, 32A, 32B, 232, 232A, 232B) being able to grip and lift a single tube (74, 76) from a receptacle in a tube storage rack (26, 282) located on the picker plate in the refrigerated, ultra-low temperature or cryogenic, lower compartment; said motorized drive mechanism (88, 90) being a second motorized drive mechanism (88, 90) for lifting and lowering the gripping fingers located in the warmer, upper compartment (20, 220) at least when not in use; and a first motorized drive mechanism (98, 100) for opening and closing the gripping fingers located in the warmer, upper compartment (20,220) at least when not in use. a refrigerated chamber (12, 212) containing a lower compartment (18, 218) refrigerated to an ultra-low or cryogenic temperature when the tube picking mechanism (10, 210) is in operation; an upper compartment (20, 220) in which the temperature (10, 210) is warmer than the ultra-low or cryogenic temperature of the lower compartment (18, 218) when the tube picking mechanism (10, 210) is in operation, a bottom portion of the upper compartment being adjacent to a top portion of the lower compartment forming a warm-cold boundary therebetween; a physical partition (24, 224A, 224B) spanning across at least a portion of the warm-cold boundary between the upper compartment (20,220) and the lower compartment (18, 218); a picker plate (28, 228) located in the refrigerated, ultra-low temperature or cryogenic, lower compartment (18, 218), a picker head (35, 235); and a motorized drive mechanism (88,90); characterized by further comprising at least one tube storage rack (26, 282) containing sample storage tubes head by said picker plated (28, 228); said picker head (35, 235) having two or more gripping fingers (32, 32A, 32B, 232, 232A, 232B) extending vertically downward in the refrigerated, ultra-low temperature or cryogenic, lower compartment (18, 218), said pair of gripping fingers (32, 32A, 32B, 232, 232A, 232B) being able to grip and lift a single tube (74, 76) from a receptacle in a tube storage rack (26, 282) located on the picker plate in the refrigerated, ultra-low temperature or cryogenic, lower compartment; said motorized drive mechanism (88, 90) being a second motorized drive mechanism (88, 90) for lifting and lowering the gripping fingers located in the warmer, upper compartment (20, 220) at least when not in use; and a first motorized drive mechanism (98, 100) for opening and closing the gripping fingers located in the warmer, upper compartment (20,220) at least when not in use.