Science and the Sea

Zombie Microbes from the Deep – October 1, 2020

AUTHOR Tara Haelle

Scientists have known for years that microorganisms exist throughout the ancient layers of sediment hundreds of feet below the ocean’s floor. But it wasn’t clear whether those microbes are dead, […]

Loggerheads Share Their Homes – August 1, 2020

AUTHOR Tara Haelle

You’ve probably heard, “a turtle carries its home on its back”, but the shells of loggerhead sea turtles are home to more than just the marine reptile inside. Researchers recently learned that […]

Counting Whale Sharks’ Ages – July 1, 2020

AUTHOR Tara Haelle

Many people are familiar with the annual growth rings in tree trunks. Most fishes have similar features in their bodies; their bones have alternating bands of dark and translucent tissue […]

Mother Lagoon – June 1, 2020

AUTHOR Damond Benningfield

Laguna Madre — Mother Lagoon — is one of the saltiest bodies of water on the planet. The narrow lagoon stretches a couple of hundred miles along the coasts of […]

Earth Day 50th Anniversary – May 1, 2020

AUTHOR Damond Benningfield

By the late 1960s, many Americans were getting fed up with bad news about the environment. A book early in the decade warned about the dangers of pesticides. An oil […]

Hitching a Ride on a Shark – April 1, 2020

AUTHOR Tara Haelle

Anyone who has tried to hitch a ride on a moving train knows it’s all about getting a really good grip. This is exactly what remoras piggybacking on larger fish […]