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Atlantic Ocean

Southern rockhoppers fearlessly approach the camera at Murrell Farm in the Falklands. The birds’ features include their spiky crests, which resemble wild eyebrows.

Rockhopper Penguins’ Athleticism Makes Them the Daredevils of the Animal World. Will a Warming Climate Slow Them Down?

A visit to the Falkland Islands, where the fearless seabirds navigate the rugged topography with tenacious spunk, shows the new challenges they face

Divers visited the site between 2022 and 2024.

New Research

Archaeologists Discover Mysterious 7,000-Year-Old Stone Wall Beneath the Waves Off the Coast of France

The sturdy, well-built structure was likely constructed on dry land at a time when sea levels were much lower than they are today

A similar situation unfolded in January 2023, when a burrowing owl (pictured here) was found aboard Royal Caribbean International’s Symphony of the Seas.

These Owls Took a Free Vacation on a Cruise Ship—but Soon They’ll Be Heading Home

A pair of burrowing owls made themselves at home aboard Royal Caribbean International’s Allure of the Seas in February, joining a trans-Atlantic sailing to Spain. They’ll return to the United States next month

The Poseidon Adventure debuted in theaters 53 years ago. This stupendously implausible work of fiction grew from the fertile soil of fact, drawing inspiration from the RMS Queen Mary's tendency to tilt dangerously.

Based on a True Story

How a Near-Shipwreck on a Luxury Ocean Liner Inspired ‘The Poseidon Adventure’ and a Decade of Disaster Movies

Paul Gallico was on board the RMS “Queen Mary” when it almost capsized in 1937. The haunting experience shaped his best-selling 1969 novel and its 1972 film adaptation

A gray seal mother feeding a pup

The Mammal With the Most Complex Milk Might Not Be Humans, After All. The Atlantic Gray Seal Could Take That Title

A new study found 332 types of complex sugar molecules in the seals’ milk, some of which help protect young from harmful bacteria. The discovery might one day help improve human health by boosting babies’ immune systems

Concrete Coral by artist Leandro Erlich features 22 concrete cars submerged roughly 20 feet deep about 780 feet off the coast of Miami Beach.

Art Meets Science

Miami Beach’s Newest Art Installation Is Underwater—and It Doubles as a Habitat for Fish and Coral

Crews lowered 22 concrete cars to the ocean floor to create “Concrete Coral,” an installation by artist Leandro Erlich. The piece is the first phase of a project called REEFLINE

Jackie's unusual coloring results from changes to her natural pigmentation process.

Meet Jackie, a 1-in-30-Million Calico Lobster Caught Off the Coast of Massachusetts

Now living at Northeastern University’s Marine Science Center, the striking crustacean has a bright orange shell with black freckles and blue joints

Diver Andrew Donn swims above one of the Seiner’s trawl doors on July 27, 2025.

This Fishing Vessel Went Missing Without a Trace in 1929. Divers Just Found It Off the Coast of Nantucket

After the captain completed his required daily check-in on January 18, 1929, no one ever saw or heard from the ST “Seiner” again

The orca known as “Old Thom” swims in front of researchers in the Bay of Fundy.

The Curious Case of ‘Old Thom,’ an Orca Traveling Alone in the North Atlantic

Sightings of the marine mammal captivate the public and baffle scientists

A common octopus (Octopus americanus) raises its arm in southern Florida.

Scientists Map the Ways Octopuses Use Their Complex Arms, Revealing Preferences for Certain Tasks

The cephalopods appear to favor using their front arms, according to a new study, though their back arms help with locomotion

A large section of the possible La Fortuna shipwreck sits on the beach in southern North Carolina

In the Muddy Banks of North Carolina, Student Archaeologists May Have Discovered the Remnants of a Centuries-Old Spanish Ship

While taking measurements of an abandoned wharf site, the students found timber from what experts believe may be part of La Fortuna, a Spanish ship destroyed nearly 300 years ago

The new species lives in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic, from the eastern United States down to Brazil.

Scientists Identify a New Manta Ray Species, Just the Third Known in the World

Meet Mobula yarae, a large marine creature that lives along the coast in the Atlantic Ocean

A river otter 

From Playful Otters to Pint-Size Owls, These Eight Awesome Animals Call the Chesapeake Bay Home

Blue crabs, bluebirds, beetles and many more creatures can be spotted in and around the bay—and scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center are paying attention

The "blob" south of Greenland has cooled over the last century, despite warming surface temperatures across the rest of the planet.

Scientists Shed Light on the Mysterious ‘Cold Blob’ in the North Atlantic Amid a Search for Its Cause

In two recent studies, researchers suggest a weakening ocean current system is to blame for a persistent cold spot in the Atlantic Ocean, though other factors may also be at play

A snapshot of the eastern United States as of June 3, from NOAA's GOES-19 satellite.

A Giant Cloud of Saharan Dust Is Heading to the Southeastern U.S. Here’s What That Means

The plume of dust has already blown over the Caribbean and is expected to reach Florida later this week

A baby Atlantic sturgeon caught from Virginia’s James River is measured by Matt Balazik, a research ecologist with Virginia Commonwealth University.

Once in Dire Straits, Atlantic Sturgeon Are Staging a Comeback on the East Coast

From Maine to Florida, the endangered, prehistoric fish is rebounding, but a recent study shows just how vulnerable the U.S. population remains

A portion of the Caribbean Sea washes ashore in Kingston, Jamaica

Discover the Dreamy Beauty of Jamaica’s Beaches, Mountains and Plant Life in These Captivating Pictures

A photographer’s trip to the island yields images that showcase its stunning terrain and vibrant culture

A newly developed A.I. model is based on 40 years of vocalizations from a community of Atlantic spotted dolphins.

Google Is Training a New A.I. Model to Decode Dolphin Chatter—and Potentially Talk Back

The company says its new model, called DolphinGemma, will be made open source this summer. Researchers are also trying to train dolphins to mimic made-up names for certain objects

Researchers recently captured the first-ever confirmed video of the colossal squid in its natural habitat.

Check Out the First Confirmed Footage of the Colossal Squid, a Rare and Enigmatic Deep-Sea Species

Most of what we know about the elusive creature comes from research on its remains found in whale stomachs, but scientists just filmed a one-foot-long juvenile in the South Atlantic Ocean

The crew of the Mackay-Bennett discovers a Titanic lifeboat adrift while searching for the bodies of those who died in the disaster.

The Long, Strange Trip of the Titanic Victims Whose Remains Surfaced Hundreds of Miles Away, Weeks After the Ship Sank

Rescuers only recovered the bodies of 337 of the 1,500-plus passengers and crew who died in the disaster. Around one-third of these corpses were buried at sea

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