HOST Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
There aren’t many worms that you could truthfully describe as “beautiful.” One of the few is found in the most colorful environments on Earth: coral reefs. It’s known as the […]
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
The colorful dwarf hawkfish has a colorful life story. Found on coral reefs from Australia to Japan, it lives in harems — one large male with an entourage of several […]
HOST Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
In July 1879, the USS Jeannette left San Francisco, headed for the north pole. No one had reached the pole yet, and scientists suspected it was ice free, with a […]
HOST Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
Dolphins are among the “chattiest” creatures in the oceans. They use sound to find and catch food, as part of their courtship rituals, and just to stay in touch with […]
HOST Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
We all know that El Niño can have a big impact on the weather here in the United States. But El Niño’s effects aren’t limited to the U.S. They can […]
HOST Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
To keep tabs on the health of whales, marine biologists sometimes catch the “snot” from the whales’ blowholes — a mixture of water, mucus, and other substances. And in recent […]
HOST Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
The right name can make all the difference in a marine organism’s reputation. Few, for example, could resist Wunderpus photogenicus — the “photogenic wonderful octopus.” It has a reddish-brown body […]
HOST Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
Seagrass beds are complex ecosystems that support fish and other marine life. Perhaps it’s not surprising, then, that an effort to restore some seagrass beds worked best when several species […]
HOST Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
The male Gulf corvina is a loudmouth. In fact, it may be too loud for its own good. Its sounds guide fishing boats right to its own spawning grounds. And […]
HOST Damond Benningfield
DISCUSSION
A hundred million years ago, Kansas was inhabited by some creatures with big, sharp teeth: sharks up to 30 feet long, a fish that’s been described as a tarpon with […]