https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/indian-ocean/RSS feed for Indian OceanenMon, 20 Jul 2026 17:34:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/for-three-hours-every-day-open-ocean-transforms-into-australias-ghost-reef-180989152/An isolated wonder some 1,200 miles from the nearest city, Montgomery Reef disappears as quickly as it appears, mirroring the supposed vanishing of its original owners, a tribe of Indigenous giantsMon, 20 Jul 2026 17:34:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/for-three-hours-every-day-open-ocean-transforms-into-australias-ghost-reef-180989152/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-a-first-scientists-witness-the-seafloor-spread-in-real-time-giving-them-a-rare-glimpse-at-a-mysterious-geologic-process-180989123/Across a matter of days in 2024, the seafloor in part of the Indian Ocean dropped by about 13 feet, and roughly 5.7 billion cubic feet of molten rock rose to the crust's surface, according to a new studyWed, 15 Jul 2026 16:02:29 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-a-first-scientists-witness-the-seafloor-spread-in-real-time-giving-them-a-rare-glimpse-at-a-mysterious-geologic-process-180989123/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-discover-the-worlds-largest-deepest-whale-graveyard-where-cetacean-remains-have-been-piling-up-for-five-million-years-180988942/The massive necropolis, located deep in the southeastern Indian Ocean, is teeming with marine life supported by the whale carcasses, including many suspected new speciesFri, 12 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-discover-the-worlds-largest-deepest-whale-graveyard-where-cetacean-remains-have-been-piling-up-for-five-million-years-180988942/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fishing-hooks-and-line-were-tangled-in-this-albatrosss-stomach-after-surgery-the-bird-is-once-again-flying-free-180987630/The juvenile Salvin's albatross was discovered by a fisherman in Anconcito, EcuadorTue, 04 Nov 2025 21:39:51 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fishing-hooks-and-line-were-tangled-in-this-albatrosss-stomach-after-surgery-the-bird-is-once-again-flying-free-180987630/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-find-300-year-old-shipwreck-in-what-used-to-be-one-of-the-baddest-pirate-lairs-on-earth-180986983/Pirates attacked the Portuguese warship, named the "Nossa Senhora do Cabo," and made off with many of the treasures the ship was transporting from India to PortugalThu, 17 Jul 2025 17:41:12 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-find-300-year-old-shipwreck-in-what-used-to-be-one-of-the-baddest-pirate-lairs-on-earth-180986983/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/the-bittersweet-beginnings-of-vanilla-can-traced-back-far-flung-isle-reunion-180986580/A journey to the remote Indian Ocean island reveals the story behind the fragrant, delicious, ubiquitous spice—and the enslaved youth who made it a commercial successTue, 20 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/the-bittersweet-beginnings-of-vanilla-can-traced-back-far-flung-isle-reunion-180986580/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/glowing-milky-seas-have-baffled-sailors-for-centuries-new-research-brings-scientists-one-step-closer-to-solving-the-mystery-180986421/Historical accounts of vast ocean waters glowing in the dark go back hundreds of years, and researchers are still trying to determine exactly what triggers the phenomenonTue, 15 Apr 2025 13:05:34 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/glowing-milky-seas-have-baffled-sailors-for-centuries-new-research-brings-scientists-one-step-closer-to-solving-the-mystery-180986421/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/humpback-whale-makes-record-breaking-8000-mile-migration-across-three-oceans-but-the-reason-is-still-a-mystery-180985652/Biologists say mating, climate change or simply being confused might have driven the creature to swim great distances, between Colombia and ZanzibarThu, 12 Dec 2024 16:42:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/humpback-whale-makes-record-breaking-8000-mile-migration-across-three-oceans-but-the-reason-is-still-a-mystery-180985652/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-mysterious-shipwreck-rests-just-20-feet-below-the-surface-it-may-be-connected-to-vasco-da-gamas-final-voyage-180985563/Researchers think a coral-covered vessel discovered off the Kenyan coast could be the "São Jorge," a galleon that sank 500 years agoTue, 03 Dec 2024 17:48:13 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-mysterious-shipwreck-rests-just-20-feet-below-the-surface-it-may-be-connected-to-vasco-da-gamas-final-voyage-180985563/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/wreck-of-world-war-ii-ship-known-as-the-dancing-mouse-discovered-at-the-bottom-of-the-indian-ocean-180985468/The USS "Edsall," a 314-foot-long destroyer, fought off Japanese forces for more than an hour before sinking beneath the surface on March 1, 1942Thu, 14 Nov 2024 19:05:13 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/wreck-of-world-war-ii-ship-known-as-the-dancing-mouse-discovered-at-the-bottom-of-the-indian-ocean-180985468/