Oceans

An ice-loving Weddell seal, equipped with headgear and ready to assist oceanographers.

How Data-Gathering Seals Help Scientists Measure the Melting Antarctic

Stumped on how to take the temperature of the ocean floor, oceanographers turned to the cutest, most competent divers they knew

A Roman fish processing factory in the city of Baelo Claudia

Romans May Have Hunted Whales to Extinction in Their Home Waters

New analysis suggests that right and gray whales were not only once present in the Mediterranean Sea but likely common in the region

Recyclable lids will be used on all Starbucks cold drinks except the Frappuccino.

Starbucks Vows to Ditch Plastic Straws by 2020. How Will the Oceans Change?

Straws make up a small portion of ocean waste, but banning straws can be an important first step to cutting down on other plastics

The Boquera brothers (above, Fèlix) are the fourth generation in their family to work the sea off the Costa Brava of Catalonia.

How a Fallback to Historic Traditions Might Save Catalonia’s Red Shrimp Fishery

The Boquera brothers, two fishermen from the Costa Brava, are part an innovative management plan that combines science with maritime skills and knowledge

Marc Fries examines a magnetic board looking for iron particles recovered from the sea floor.

A Research Ship Is Hunting Meteorite Fragments Off the Coast of Washington

The research ship E/V Nautilus is combing through samples and sediment hoping to recover the first space rock from the ocean floor

How the Belize Barrier Reef Beat the Endangered List

An oil drilling moratorium, development restrictions and fishing reform has helped the 200-mile-reef come off Unesco's endangered world heritage sites list

At Surf Ranch in May (where Kelly Slater leaned into a cutback), 5,000 spectators gathered to watch 25 world-class surfers compete for prize money.

Engineering the Perfect Wave

A technology breakthrough allows surf legend Kelly Slater to manufacture the same wave over and over again

The Epic Quest to Ride the World’s Biggest Wave

Welcome to the new Mt. Everest of surfing, a notoriously dangerous break off the coast of Portugal

From glow-in-the-dark squid to the terrifying stoplight loosejaw, creatures of the deep have evolved their own living light time and time again.

Why Bioluminescence Evolved to Be Red Light, and Blue

The laws of nature constrict living light to a few hues, which also happen to be quite patriotic

Scientists at the Smithsonian's Museum Support Center in Suitland, Maryland extract a giant squid from its original formalin preservative.

Operation Calamari: How the Smithsonian Got Its Giant Squids

After a decade on view, these cephalopod specimens have a growing fan base

This striped dolphin, photographed in the Gulf of Corinth, may be grieving a relative. A new study examines the evidence.

Study Suggests Dolphins and Some Whales Grieve Their Dead

An analysis of 78 instances of cetaceans paying attention to their dead suggests grief may be part of being a highly social animal

The early life stages of these oceanic behemoths are a mystery to researchers.

Teeming Manta Ray Nursery Discovered in the Gulf of Mexico

Almost all of the rays in the area are rarely seen juveniles, which can reach wingspans of 23 feet when they grow up

A narwhal being capture and tagged for the study

Researchers Record the Sounds of the Elusive Narwhal

<i>Skreee---click----whirrr.</i>

Fully 73 percent of the patents studied in the paper pertained to microbial species, which account for about 20 percent of marine life.

Nearly Half the Patents on Marine Genes Belong to Just One Company

Who owns biodiversity? No one and everyone—or maybe, a German chemical company

New Gadget Brings Fish Up From the Ocean's "Twilight Zone"

The portable decompression chamber allows SCUBA-diving scientists to safely collect specimens without them, well, exploding

Bycatch is a major problem in fisheries, resulting in the deaths of countless endangered animals. New dynamic software helps fishermen avoid this harmful phenomenon.

Smart Software Helps Fishermen Catch the Fish They Want, Not Endangered Species

Like a dynamic weather app for the sea, the program allows fishermen to pinpoint areas of conservation and can be updated daily

The first blue whale ever seen in the Red Sea.

Huge Blue Whale Sighted in the Red Sea for the First Time

The massive mammals typically spend their summers in polar waters, but are known to occasionally migrate further

Marine heatwaves can kill off species and alter ecosystems.

Ocean Heatwaves Are Getting Longer and More Intense

If the past century is any indication, global warming may be contributing to less stable marine ecosystems

In the water, rockweed provides habitat for crustaceans, fish, and mollusks; out of the water, it’s food for people and animals, fertilizer, and a soil conditioner.

How Seaweed Connects Us All

An unlikely debate about rockweed brings together Rachel Carson, marine biology and Maine's supreme court

Exterior Cracks Force Indefinite Closure of the USS Arizona Memorial

Workers are currently assessing the damage to the iconic structure that straddles the sunken ship

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