Sponges: Related Content

  • A yellow moray eel inside of a sea sponge in the waters off of Poor Knights Islands, New Zealand

    Yellow Moray Eel

    A yellow moray eel, Gymnothorax prasinus, inside of a sea sponge in the waters off of Poor Knights Islands, New Zealand.

     

  • A scientists examines a sponge specimen collected in the Caribbean.

    Cancer-Fighting Sponges?

    Dr. Patrick Colin, of the Coral Reef Research Foundation in Palau, examines a sponge he collected off the island of Curaçao, in the Caribbean. Colin is conducting research for the National Cancer Institute and looking for sponges with properties that may lead to new treatments. Read about his work on our Summer in a Sub blog series. 

  • Searching for Cancer Drugs in the Ocean

    Ever since fourth grade I’ve wanted to explore the creatures and landscapes of the deep ocean in a submersible. It took awhile, but I finally got my chance this summer as part of the Deep Reef Observation Project (DROP).

  • <p>&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Scientist Martha Nizinski holds a specimen of a fan sponge (<em>Phakellia</em> sp.) collected at a deep-sea coral study site off the coast of South Carolina. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

    Fan Sponge

    Dr. Martha Nizinski holds a specimen of a fan sponge (Phakellia sp.) collected at a deep-sea coral study site off the coast of South Carolina. Deep-sea corals and sponges provide structure for a variety of other organisms, which use these habitats for protection as well as for finding food and mates.

  • Cancer cells treated with discodermolide, a chemical from a sponge found on deep-sea coral reefs.

    Treated Cancer Cells

    These cancer cells have been treated with discodermolide, a chemical obtained from a sponge that grows on deep-sea coral reefs. It prevents the cells from dividing and spreading. Learn more about the many benefits of deep-sea corals in the multimedia feature "Coral Gardens of the Deep Sea."

  • Medicines from the Sea

    You may not think of the ocean as a pharmacy but scientists are developing exciting new medicines from the sponges, corals, and other marine organisms found in the sea. Explore other videos that capture the beauty and mystery of the ocean realm at NOAA Ocean Today.

  • NMNH Invertebrate Zoology Museum Specialist Yolanda Villacampa

    NMNH Invertebrate Zoology Museum Specialist Yolanda Villacampa

    Yolanda Villacampa is a museum specialist in the invertebrate zoology department of Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. She is standing surrounded by the invertebrate zoology collection.

  • Portrait of a scallop with black and white striped lips, whose shell is encrusted with a red sponge.

    Scallop

    Portrait of a scallop with black and white striped lips, whose shell is encrusted with a red sponge.

  • Sponges and sea anemones cling to mangrove roots as shrimp swim nearby.

    Life Thrives Among Mangrove Roots

    Colorful sponges and tentacled sea anemones thrive on mangrove roots as swarms of mysid shrimp swim in the surrounding waters. More about mangroves can be found in our Mangroves section.

  • Sea anemones, brittle stars, and sea urchins make a home on mangrove roots.

    Mangrove Roots Up Close

    Dip your head below the water's surface in a mangrove forest and an entirely new ecosystem is revealed. The twisting mangrove roots, which appear to float unrooted in the water, support a great diversity of life -- including sea anemones, brittle stars, and sea urchins.

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