Personal Perspectives

Deep-sea octocorals: An ecosystem of their own

The deep-sea is a vast part of the world’s ocean. Even today, it often surprises...

Personal Perspectives

How Oil Feeds the Deep Sea

There can be catastrophic results when a large amount of oil is spilled into the...

Personal Perspectives

History and Modern Science Collide for the 38th Voyage of the Charles W. Morgan

Traveling aboard the Charles W. Morgan, a 173-year-old whaling ship on its 38th...

Personal Perspectives

From Despair to Repair: Protecting Parrotfish Can Help Bring Back Caribbean Coral Reefs

Reef biologists over a certain age are haunted by memories of what glorious places...

Personal Perspectives

Little Critters that tell a BIG Story: Benthic Foraminifera and the Gulf Oil Spill

You are not alone if you don’t know what forams (short for foraminifera) are, so...

Personal Perspectives

Diving into the Sandstorm

Diving can be a wild ride that evokes more than a little trepidation, especially in...

Personal Perspectives

Signs of a Recovering Harbor

For more than two centuries, Boston Harbor has been a dumping ground. In 1773,...

Personal Perspectives

Humpback Whales in Antarctica: What Are the Whales Doing?

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaengliae) are the most abundant baleen whale in the...

Personal Perspectives

Reflections on the Successful Search for the Giant Squid

I have been at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History since...

Personal Perspectives

One Fish, Two Fish: Estimating Undiscovered Species

My father once told me that the world is divided into two kinds of people: those...

Personal Perspectives

What We DON'T Know About the Deep Sea

Imagine: You’re in a small submersible, and you gently settle on the soft muddy...

Personal Perspectives

Listening for Clues About Sonar’s Effects on Marine Mammals

Many animals depend on their eyes to navigate, find food, locate mates, and for...