Technology

LATEST TODAY'S CATCH

From Sea Sponge to HIV Medicine

Mar 26, 2013 - 9:40AMTectitethya crypta (formerly known as Cryptotheca crypta) is a large, shallow-water sponge found in the Caribbean. It was first studied for medical purposes in the 1950s when few scientists or doctors thought to look for...
Mar 14, 2013 - 10:40AM
The spiral-tufted bryozoan (Bugula neritina) is being studied for a...
Jan 25, 2013 - 11:21AM
In 2012, the long-elusive giant squid was finally filmed live in its natural...

SPOTLIGHT

Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP)

The TOPP program brought together scientists from seven countries to explore the lives of large mid-water animals such as...
Mar 26 2013 - 9:40am
Tectitethya crypta (formerly known as Cryptotheca crypta) is a large, shallow-water sponge found in the Caribbean. It was first studied for medical purposes in the 1950s when few scientists or doctors thought to look for medicines in the ocean. But in the sponge, scientists isolated two chemicals--...
Jul 5 2011 - 12:37pm
Smithsonian researchers are using this five-person submersible to study the biodiversity of the deep reefs of Curaçao in the southern Caribbean. Read about their adventures in the Summer in a Sub blog series.
Scientists Discuss their Submersible Experience
Dec 15 2009 - 6:00pm
Scientists talk about the experience of exploring the ocean in this excerpt from the Deep Ocean Explorers video. More about deep ocean exploration can be found in our Deep Ocean Exploration featured story.
Jan 6 2011 - 10:48am
Ice divers Katrin Iken (left) and Elizabeth Siddon are about to descend through a hole in the Arctic ice and into the frigid world below.
Aug 9 2011 - 12:14pm
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...
Jul 5 2011 - 9:40am
Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean is the site of the Smithsonian's Deep Reef Observation Project (DROP). Researchers are using a submarine to study and collect specimens from the hard-to-reach deep reefs. Read more about the research in the "Summer in a Sub" blog series.
Jul 5 2011 - 2:15pm
You never know where following your passions can take you. I came to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) two years ago as a research intern after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in biology. I never expected, two years later, to spend a summer working with scientists, sub...
Nov 30 2011 - 2:08pm
In 2011, Oceana researchers spent two months surveying life and conditions in the Baltic Sea. The team covered more than 7,000 nautical miles and completed more than 130 dives. The data, samples, video, and photos they gathered may inform the expansion of marine protected areas. See some of the...
Jul 27 2011 - 11:15am
Inside the control van for the remotely operated vehicle Jason, Dr. Brendan Roark and colleagues watch the ROV collecting deep-sea coral specimens. This NOAA expedition took place in November 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Florida. Learn more about deep-sea corals in the ...
The Ocean Drilling Vessel Chikyu
Dec 8 2009 - 10:57pm
The Chikyu allows scientists to gather and study data about seafloor sediments as soon as they are collected. After a powerful 9.0 earthquake triggered a devestating tsunami in Japan in March 2011, Japanese officials decided to use the Chikyu to explore the underwater fault zone.
Jul 27 2011 - 9:31am
The Johnson-Sea-Link submersible launches to study cold-water corals off Florida in 2009. Explore more the multimedia feature "Coral Gardens of the Deep Sea." 
Jan 9 2013 - 10:51am
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 deep-sea corals in the multimedia feature "Coral Gardens of the Deep Sea" and about drugs from sea...
Aug 9 2011 - 12:00pm
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).
Dec 8 2010 - 7:07pm
Rutgers oceanographers Josh Kohut (left) and Scott Glenn aboard the Investigador after recovering the Scarlet Knight in Spanish waters. Scientists and students on both sides of the Atlantic collaborated on the historic achievement.
Arctic Exploration
Jan 14 2011 - 2:45pm
New technology is making it possible for scientists to go where they’ve never gone before, the depths of the icy Arctic Ocean. By collecting organisms and mapping the seafloor, researchers can discover the effects of climate change on this region and understand the relationship between the ice,...
Dec 8 2009 - 3:11pm
To explore the deep ocean, scientists rely on numerous pieces of high-tech equipment. This photo gallery showcases some of the remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), submersibles, and other devices that have been used. Read about the Scarlet Knight, the first underwater robotic vehicle to cross an...