Oceans

In a healthy reef, coral symbionts make food for the coral animal.

A Blueprint for Genetically Engineering a Super Coral

Why some researchers are proposing a drastic measure to save a threatened ecosystem

Etmopterus lailae

This Tiny, Bulbous-Nosed Shark Glows in the Dark

After 17 years of study, scientists finally confirm that the oddball creature is a new species

This month, several news outlets misleadingly reported that women's birth control was causing "transgender" fish.

How One Bad Science Headline Can Echo Across the Internet

Recent articles claiming birth control causes “transgender" fish show how science communication can mislead—even when it relies on facts

The fin of a blacktip shark glides through the waters in the Bahamas.

Ten Things We've Learned about Sharks Since Last Shark Week

In light of Shark Week 2017, here are some revelations about the fearsome fish we’ve made in the past year

Snooty, World's Oldest Captive Manatee, Dies in Accident

The 69-year-old sea cow was the mascot for the South Florida Museum

Marianne Nyegaard poses next to a beached hoodwinker sunfish near Christchurch, New Zealand.

Found: New Species of Ocean Sunfish, the World’s Largest Bony Fish

After identifying genetic traces of the creature, one researcher spent years searching for the aquatic beast

The preserved whale heart weighs approximately 400 pounds.

The Painstaking Process of Preserving a 400-Pound Blue Whale Heart

This massive specimen is now on display in Canada’s Royal Ontario Museum

Thousands of Mysterious Yellow "Sponges" Wash Up On French Beaches

Though experts were initially stumped, the substance has now been identified

Watch the Sri Lankan Navy Rescue an Elephant Stranded at Sea

It took 12 hours for a team of navy personnel, divers and wildlife officials to pull the creature back to shore

A scuba diver swims in the coral reefs of Palau. Beneath the depths that humans can dive, natural wonder and a better understanding of our planet awaits.

Why The First Complete Map of the Ocean Floor Is Stirring Controversial Waters

Charting these watery depths could transform oceanography. It could also aid deep sea miners looking for profit

These glowing corals live deep in the Red Sea.

Deep-Water Corals Glow for Their Lives

New research sheds light on the secrets of fluorescent coral reefs

A horseshoe crab.

Forget Dinos: Horseshoe Crabs Are Stranger, More Ancient—And Still Alive Today

But now evolution’s ultimate survivors may be in danger

This structure in Tuscany holds clues to why Roman concrete is still so strong.

Why Ancient Roman Concrete Is So Strong

A rare chemical reaction strengthens it even today—and that could help threatened coastal communities

One of the mine-hunting dolphins being retrained to find vaquita porpoises

Mexico Will Use Dolphins to Herd the Endangered Vaquita to Safety

Mine-hunting dolphins will help researchers transfer the remaining creatures into marine sanctuaries

A selection of foraminifera, tiny marine creatures that form elaborate shells of calcium carbonate or silica.

These Fanciful Microbes Need Your Coloring Skills

A vast microscopic world writhes around you. Now a coloring book lets you bring wee beasts and beauties to life

The first atomic shock wave caused by Gilda's explosion on this day in 1946.

The Crazy Story of the 1946 Bikini Atoll Nuclear Tests

They were the first time that a nuclear weapon had been deployed since the 1945 attacks on Japan

Coral reefs, like this one off the coast of South Africa, are rich both in hue and aquatic sounds.

Coral Reefs Sound Like Popcorn, and That’s a Good Thing

The oceans boast a vibrant soundscape, but we may be slowly silencing their symphonies

Southern Resident orcas frolic in Puget Sound.

Two Thirds of Southern Resident Orca Pregnancies Fail

But now scientists think they know why

Global Fishing Fleets Waste Ten Percent of Catch

Every year, fisheries waste ten million tons of fish—enough to fill 4,500 Olympic-sized swimming pools

Coastal regions and islands are vanishing due to a lethal combination of erosion, sea rise and subsidence, or the slow sinking of land over time. The network of 1200 coral islands and atolls that makes up the Maldives in the Indian Ocean is ground zero.

What Are All The Ways That Land Can Disappear Beneath Your Feet?

From sinkholes to liquefaction, we look at how solid earth can shrink and elude our grasp

Page 42 of 72