HOST Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
In 2016, scientists discovered large fields of sponges atop some volcanic mountains that rise from the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. And that was a big surprise—no one had seen […]
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.
HOST Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
Corals are in trouble. Higher ocean temperatures and acidity are damaging or killing many reefs. And the problem gets worse by the year. But not all the news is in […]
HOST Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
Studies say our planet’s changing climate is likely to make hurricanes more intense, trigger more outbreaks of the polar vortex, and bring more big thunderstorms and flooding rains to the […]
HOST Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
If you like oysters, some researchers in Virginia have some good news for you: Restored oyster reefs can return to good health in just a few years. Oyster populations have […]
HOST Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
Thousands of scuba tanks have washed ashore on the beaches of Cornwall, England, in the last quarter-century. So have life jackets, flippers, octopuses, and other nautical items. And they may […]
HOST Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
As a hurricane roars toward the American coastline, residents pay close attention to a single number: the hurricane’s category. Category 1 is dangerous but usually survivable, while category 5 is […]
HOST Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
You can’t hide from satellites — especially if you stain the ground with large patches of poo. Of course, it helps if the ground is the pure white snow and […]
HOST Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
A type of ray has come back from the dead—or at least the mostly dead. The tentacled butterfly ray inhabited the waters along the northern Indian Ocean, from Arabia to […]
HOST Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
A “conveyor belt” in the Atlantic Ocean appears to be slowing down. And that could have a big impact on the climate, although it’s not clear just what that impact […]
HOST Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
The North Atlantic Ocean is home to a rich diversity of life beneath the waves. But it’s also home to a rich diversity above the waves: seabirds. There are so […]