WRITER Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
“Twinkle, twinkle, little star” might not seem like an especially romantic song. Apparently, though, it works for male leopard seals. During the mating season, East Antarctic leopard seals sing underwater […]
Radio Program
Our regular Science and the Sea™ radio program presents marine science topics in an engaging two-minute story format. Our script writers gather ideas for the radio program from the University of Texas Marine Science Institute’s researchers and from our very popular college class, Introduction to Oceanography, which we teach to hundreds of non-science majors at The University of Texas at Austin every year. Our radio programs are distributed to commercial and public radio stations across the country.
WRITER Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
Part of the Indian Ocean has been freshening up a bit. Water at its surface is getting less salty—a result of climate change. That could impact everything from the health […]
WRITER Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
Unicorns graze among many of the world’s coral reefs. But instead of the graceful animals of mythology, they look more like cartoon characters. Their “horns” can be long, short, or […]
WRITER Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
The oceans provide the “fuel” for almost all the thunderstorms on Earth: water that evaporates from the ocean surface. But the oceans generally don’t provide the “trigger” for the big […]
WRITER Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
At the time of the dinosaurs, the oceans were filled with lots of big, scary creatures. The biggest and scariest might have been some king-sized ancestors of the modern octopus. […]
WRITER Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
Big ships can really stir things up—especially in shallow coastal waters. A ship’s wake can extend far below the vessel. It creates turbulence that mixes up the water. It can […]
WRITER Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
Some coastal areas along the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico have had a big, stinky problem over the past decade or so. Big mats of seaweed have been […]
WRITER Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
It’s hard to think of anything good coming from earthquakes. But for life in part of the Southern Ocean, they could be crucial. A recent study found that underwater quakes […]
WRITER Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
Most parents wouldn’t be pleased if you told them that their baby looks nothing like them. But some fish parents might be happy at such a description. The lack of […]
WRITER Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
In August of 2024, a fisherman in Costa Rica pulled in a fish that looked like a refugee from a “Finding Nemo” sequel—a shark the color of a Creamsicle with […]