Personal Perspectives

Bringing the Western Flyer, and History, Back to Life

As a first year graduate student in marine biology, I shared a large office with...

Personal Perspectives

Spirals in Time: A Walk at the Seashore

When I set out to write a book about mollusks (called Spirals in Time), I wasn't...

Personal Perspectives

Unearthing Information About Invasives From the Bottom of a Cargo Ship

I am once again leaving my familiar world behind and descending into the abyss...

Personal Perspectives

Ocean Sampling Day – Taking the Pulse of the World’s Oceans

If you are a bird watcher you have probably heard of the Christmas Bird Count. The...

Personal Perspectives

Portraits of Planet Ocean – Behind The Photographs

As an assignment photographer, I sometimes feel as though I am living in a vacuum,...

Personal Perspectives

The Design of a Beautiful Weapon

This summer, many of you have likely enjoyed feasting on crabs, be they blue,...

Personal Perspectives

A World Adrift: Life in the Sargassum

The open ocean is surprisingly barren to the naked eye. Every now and again you...

Personal Perspectives

Whale fossils on the mainland, and into a CT scanner

After a few long days of hard work on the island, we were finally able to excavate...

Personal Perspectives

Ocean Trash: Marine Debris From Shore to Sea

We drove down a long dirt road on the northern side of Curaçao looking for a...

Personal Perspectives

Diving for Crabs in the Deep Sea

Last week, Smithsonian research zoologists Dr. Jerry Harasewych and Dr. Martha...

Personal Perspectives

Make Me Care About: Phragmites

This week at the Smithsonian Ocean Portal we embark on an experiment we're calling...

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...