Deep Sea News | All the news on the Earth's largest environment
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Delivery of ocean science as it occurs through the eyes of 7 scientists: all the news and oddities of this planet's largest environment.
Deep Sea News | All the news on the Earth's largest environment
1d ago
Guest post by Dr. Melissa Betters
“They got it!” echoed shouts down the hallways of the Research Vessel Atlantis in Fall 2018. The whole science crew knew what it meant: The elusive polychaete worm, seen numerous times during our deep-sea dives at the Pacific Costa Rica Margin, had finally been captured. Now, it’s been formally described in PLoS One.
The research cruise in question was one of three that surveyed the cold seeps off the coast of the Pacific Costa Rica Margin from 2017-2019. This region is a subduction zone – where one tectonic plate is subducting beneath another. This tectonic a ..read more
Deep Sea News | All the news on the Earth's largest environment
6d ago
Guest post by Dr. Melissa Betters
Are you afraid of the deep, dark ocean? If so, you’re not alone. Thalassophobia (fear of deep water) seems all too common these days from web articles titled “10 Bioluminescent Organisms That Better Cut That Freaky Sh*t Out Before I Call The Cops,” to sci-fi thrillers like “The Meg” (2018) to Tumblr posts like that of user jaclcfrost: “make no mistake i love the ocean with my whole heart but deep water terrifies me so much.. what’s goin on down there? nothing i want to be a part of.” Indeed, the deep ocean – aquatic, cold, dark – is about as opposite an enviro ..read more
Deep Sea News | All the news on the Earth's largest environment
1w ago
Osedax worms, or the ‘bone eating’ worms are little soft sacks resembling snotty little flowers. The “bone devourer” is not quite accurate as the worms do not actually feed on the bone mineral, but rather the fats within the bone matrix. It’s just the Osedax females that do the feeding … and have no mouth, anus, or gut. The females extend roots into the bones to tap the fats within. With roots to delve into the bone, a trunk of main body, and a crown of respiratory organs extending from the trunk, the flower moniker is appropriate. Perhaps that’s why one of the first named s ..read more
Deep Sea News | All the news on the Earth's largest environment
2w ago
You know what your hump day needs? Some absolute stunning photos of deep-sea animals. Look at this one. Look at that one. You gotta get yourself some of these deep-sea animals.
A team of scientists recently wrapped up a 40-day research voyage (jealous!) from the Salas y Gómez Ridge to Rapa Nui, commonly known as Easter Island. Situated off the coast of Chile, this ridge is teeming with biodiversity and is being considered for designation as a high-seas marine protected area. Led by Drs. Erin E. Easton from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and Javier Sellanes from the Universidad Catól ..read more
Deep Sea News | All the news on the Earth's largest environment
2w ago
So, you’ve decided you want to become a marine biologist? Well, grab your snorkel, strap on your flippers, and prepare for a wild ride through the salty depths of academia! But fair warning: if you’re expecting your days to be filled with dolphin cuddles and underwater tea parties with mermaids, you might want to reel in those expectations. Becoming a marine biologist is more than just playing with Nemo and friends—it’s about diving deep into the unknown, navigating through murky research waters, and occasionally dodging the territorial advances of a particularly grumpy octopus. So, if you’re ..read more
Deep Sea News | All the news on the Earth's largest environment
3w ago
A new species of deep-sea cucumber has over 100 feet in alternating two or three rows. This means of course that when it plays the This Little Piggy nursery rhyme it needs to repeat it 25 times. The multi-footed walking banana is called Oneirophanta idsseica and discovered at depth up to 3.8 kilometers deep in the South China Sea. At nearly 30 centimeters long and 10 wide, the new species is also a bit of a chonker.
Xiao, Yunlu, and Haibin Zhang. ” Three new species and one new record of Deimatidae (Echinodermata, Holothuroidea, Synallactida) discovered in the South China Sea a ..read more
Deep Sea News | All the news on the Earth's largest environment
2M ago
Delving into the evolutionary past of the enigmatic deep-sea vampire squid, Vampyroteuthis infernalis, has long been a pursuit shrouded in mystery. However, recent discoveries, such as a remarkable specimen unearthed from the Early Jurassic of Luxembourg, are shedding new light on the early anatomy of vampyromorphs.
Enter Simoniteuthis michaelyi, a newfound taxon that has captured the attention of researchers worldwide. This remarkable creature, based on a nearly complete pen accompanied by a head-arm complex, is a brilliantly preserved fossil.
What makes Simoniteuthis truly intriguing is its ..read more
Deep Sea News | All the news on the Earth's largest environment
2M ago
I never thought that when I wrote this post over ten years ago, the story would go viral. In it I detail, how a Cretaceous coastline transformed into fertile “Black Belt” region of the American South, ultimately affecting voting patterns in South. In this brief PBS feature, evolutionary biologist Shane Campbell-Staton and I delve into this extraordinary journey.
The post How An Ancient Ocean Shaped US History first appeared on Deep Sea News ..read more
Deep Sea News | All the news on the Earth's largest environment
2M ago
In the profound darkness of the ocean’s depths, organisms face a choice concerning their visual capabilities. Some species evolve specialized eyes that grow to astonishing sizes, as seen in creatures like the giant squid or owl fish. Alternatively, there’s the option to abandon the concept of eyes altogether. It’s the latter scenario that introduces us to an intriguing case: the “blind lobsters,” a peculiar group of 38 lobster-like crustaceans known as Polychelidae. These creatures exclusively inhabit the deep sea, dwelling at depths exceeding 5,000 meters (16,000 feet). Members of this group ..read more
Deep Sea News | All the news on the Earth's largest environment
2M ago
Schmidt Ocean has posted new 4K video of a suite of amazing organisms from seamounts of the coast of Chile. I, however, strongly feel the video should have been accompanied by Chilean music. So set the Schmidt video to mute and play this instead or go here to this rather busy remix.
The post Seamounts of the Southeast Pacific first appeared on Deep Sea News ..read more