OCEANS

9 Alarming Facts About Coral Reef Bleaching

The longest-lasting recorded global bleaching event began in 2014 and continues to affect coral reefs worldwide.

Tiny Plastics in the Ocean Are Harming Baby Fish

Microplastics are making young fish smaller, slower, and less intelligent.

Watch a Bed of Coquina Clams Emerge From the Sand to Feed

Behold the spectacle of coquina clams appearing seemingly from nowhere to feed.

Hang Out on the Sea Floor with Live Video from a Hydrothermal Vent

The Ocean Observatories Initiative has set up miniature laboratories on the sea floor.

A Giant, Floating Wind Farm Is Coming to the Scottish Coast

The Hywind wind farm will be the largest of its kind.

What Are Loofahs Made Of?

Something to ponder during your next bubble bath.

Olaus Magnus (1539) via Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

What’s With the Sea Monsters on Old Maps?

The world was a scary place in the Middle Ages.

15 Shucking Amazing Facts About Oysters

3. Spring is when a young oyster looks for love.

The Plan to Send a Submarine to Titan, Saturn's Largest Moon

We may release the (submarine into) Kraken, a liquid hydrocarbon sea on Titan, sometime in the 2040s. How cool is that?

Researchers Solve 95-Year-Old Shipwreck Mystery

NOAA has discovered the final resting place of the USS Conestoga.

Plankton Poop Might Be Moving Plastic to the Bottom of the Ocean

Plankton love to eat microbeads, which could potentially spread plastic pollution throughout the ocean.

Human Noise Reaches to the Deepest Part of the Ocean

New audio recordings from the Mariana Trench capture the sounds of whales, earthquakes, storms, and ships from 7 miles above.

Listen to the Eerie Sounds of a Mass Ocean Migration

Small deep-water creatures are not so quiet when they travel.

A Toy Boat Launched by School Kids in South Carolina Ended Up in Wales

This class project ended up 4000 miles from home.

5 Monstrous Facts About Pike Eels

You wouldn't want to bump into this guy on a midnight swim.

Caribbean Sperm Whales Have Their Own Regional Accent

A new study on whale vocalizations shows that Caribbean sperm whales all use a certain acoustic pattern that’s not heard outside of the region.

Octopuses Change Colors to Intimidate Their Foes, Study Finds

A new study suggests that octopuses aren’t as asocial as we thought, and that their color-changing abilities aren't just camouflage.

Meet the beluga, nicknamed the "canary of the sea."

10 Playful Facts About Beluga Whales

These vocal cetaceans native to Arctic waters are nicknamed the "canaries of the sea," and can even mimic human speech.

Giant Clams Could Help Us Make Better Screens and Solar Cells

Scientists are trying to better understand their iridescent shades.

Hairy frogfish in the water. Steve Childs via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY 2.0

New Zealand Family on Vacation Finds Black Fish with 'Legs'

Museum scientists later identified the specimen as a striated frogfish.

Facial Recognition Software Could Help Researchers Identify Individual Whales

Using the markings on their heads and backs, scientists are able to effectively tell the animals apart.

Sea Slugs Store the Toxins They Eat to Poison Their Enemies

They can survive eating the toxic Latrunculin A, but their predators may not.

Manuae, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

10 Chambered Facts About Nautiluses

2. Unlike its cephalopod relative the octopus, the nautilus has a poor memory.

Arctic Plankton Use the Moon to Navigate in Dark Winters

During the winter, they switch from a 24-hour day governed by sunlight to a 24.8-hour lunar day governed by the phases of the moon.

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