WRITER Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
For anyone who’s ever had a cold, the flu, or any other illness caused by a virus, getting rid of viruses might sound like a good idea. But many viruses […]
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
The oceans near the poles are cold—really cold. Because of the salt content, water temperatures can remain below freezing for most or all of the year. And that can be […]
WRITER Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
Cats sometimes drop food at their owner’s front door—lizards, mice, or other small prey. A recent study found that killer whales sometimes offer food to people as well. But the […]
WRITER Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
Most of the tropical storms that roar across the Atlantic basin are born over Africa—especially the really big ones. They begin as low-pressure systems over the Sahara Desert, and are […]
WRITER Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
The frigid waters of the Arctic and Antarctic hide some giants: sea spiders the size of serving trays, sharks as long as minibuses, half-ton squid twice that length—almost all of […]
WRITER Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
If you happen to have a spare fiber in your undersea fiber-optic cable, marine scientists might like to have a chat. They’re using the cables to listen to the sounds […]
WRITER Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
1933 was a bad year for the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Slime mold wiped out the eelgrass beds in the shallow coastal waters. A big hurricane made things even worse. […]
WRITER Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
After the 1944 D-Day invasion of Europe, Germany launched a months-long attack on London and Belgium. Its V-1 “buzz bombs” killed thousands. Today, though, the remnants of some of these […]
WRITER Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
Some of the clouds that waft across the Southern Ocean may have an icky source: penguin poop. Ammonia in the poo mixes with other chemicals in the air. That creates […]
WRITER Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
A symphony is playing in the estuaries of South Carolina—the sounds of shrimp, fish, dolphins, and other creatures. To marine biologists, each sound is like a musical note. Individual notes […]