In a new publication in the scientific journal Ecology, Senior Scientist Bruce Robison reports how the swimming sea cucumber Pelagothuria natatrix interrupts the transport of carbon to the abyssal sea...

Happy World Octopus Day!  Every Oct 8, the world celebrates one of the more unusual creatures of the sea. Octopuses are well-known for their eight legs and ability to squirt ink when frightened.…

COTS can have up to twenty-one arms! These arms are flexible and can curl allowing them to move quickly over rocks and reefs. Learn more about their gnarly defenses.

The world’s coral reefs are losing both hard coral cover and, just as critically, the time they need to recover between increasingly frequent marine heat waves, according to the most comprehensive…

Sea stars have small true compound eyes on their arm tips, sometimes called optic cushions.

A two-and-a-half-year-old mystery of the "golden orb," an unidentified object that captured significant public interest when it was collected during a 2023 NOAA expedition, has finally been solved. Sc...

Donald Trump promised to usher in a new era of offshore oil drilling. Scientists know all too well how that story ends.

Ecosystems are quickly changing because of the climate crisis. Temperatures are rising and shrinking the cooler refuges that the butterflies need.

YouTube video by The Long Now Foundation

ALT: a close up of a fish in the ocean

World Whale Day honors majestic whales and their vital role in ocean ecosystems, inspiring education, conservation, and global events to protect them.

In some parts of the ocean, a hydrophone might pick up the sound of mantis shrimp punches. These shrimp are sometimes called “pistol shrimp.”

YouTube video by MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute)

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...

This Christmas Bird Count, we salute the fabulous, underappreciated, common species. Here's to you, house sparrow.

In the darkness of the deep ocean, where pressure crushes and light fails, an expedition has found an astonishing array of life, including a carnivorous “death-ball” sponge (from the genus Chondroclad...

A new study argues that deep-sea mining poses significant risks not only to seafloor ecosystems, but also to animals in the vast midwater realm.

From the beginning of life on Earth, microbes, small but influential single-celled organisms, have shaped the environment that animals must adapt to in order to survive. Distinct microbial…

Soft batteries and water-walking robots are among the many creations made possible by studying animals and plants.

Their spring-loaded powerful claws can spear prey at an accelerated rate of 60 miles an hour. 50 times faster than the blink of an eye. Think, Superman!

YouTube video by MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute)

Soft batteries and water-walking robots are among the many creations made possible by studying animals and plants.