TGIF – Pretty pictures from Okeanos Explorer
TGIF – Pretty pictures from Okeanos Explorer avatar

This week the NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer has been dropping its ROV Little Hercules onto various features in the northern Gulf of Mexico, including an old wood/iron wreck, salt domes and man-made seismic trenches.  Okeanos has an interesting remote arrangement where folks back on the continent can direct the ROV pilots in real time by . . . → Read More: TGIF – Pretty pictures from Okeanos Explorer

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A Lonely Tree Far From Home Brings New Life to the Ocean Deep: A Narrative in Five Acts
A Lonely Tree Far From Home Brings New Life to the Ocean Deep: A Narrative in Five Acts avatar

Act 1: Wood Falling on Water At two miles below the ocean’s surface, I see wooden carcasses, once buoyant, lying listlessly on the abyssal seafloor. They range from small fragments to 2000+ pound behemoths.  Ligneous cadavers litter the seafloor, a last resting place for visitors from a faraway and drier place, becoming rare as . . . → Read More: A Lonely Tree Far From Home Brings New Life to the Ocean Deep: A Narrative in Five Acts

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More annelid than anaconda
More annelid than anaconda avatar

  John Bobbitt: Baby, this is not what I meant by "trial separation" Once upon a time in 1993, when I was imbibing my sophomore year at college in Australia – drinking in the knowledge, so to speak – I heard tell of a horrific crime, one that struck fear into the hearts and sub-heart-areas . . . → Read More: More annelid than anaconda

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No fish is an island
No fish is an island avatar

Image: Australian Museum Tongue biters have been in my inbox a few times lately.  If you’ve managed never to come across these interesting little isopods before, they are members of a wholly parasitic group called the Cymothoidae.  For regular readers of Deep Sea News, you can think about them as smaller versions of Bathynomus, which . . . → Read More: No fish is an island

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10 Ocean Species Every Man Should Love: Part 2
10 Ocean Species Every Man Should Love: Part 2 avatar

After your comments on the last post and deliberation by a crack team of judges that included myself and some fellas named Evan, Jack, and Jim here are the top 5 manliest species. Adam Etzion wrote this about the Vampire Squid in the comments of the last post Sit back, swish that bourbon around and . . . → Read More: 10 Ocean Species Every Man Should Love: Part 2

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What’s In Your Stomach?
What’s In Your Stomach? avatar

With Mardi Gras recently passing, I was privileged to partake of a King Cake graciously offered by a coworker.  Originally European in tradition, the riche brioche-style cake is now also popular along the Gulf coast. King Cakes are recognizable from nearly 3 miles away by the patches of green, purple, and gold sugar that top . . . → Read More: What’s In Your Stomach?

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10 Ocean Species Every Man Should Love: Part 1
10 Ocean Species Every Man Should Love: Part 1 avatar

Slip into a smoking jacket, pour yourself a glass of bourbon, light a cigar, and enjoy this post on 10 Ocean Species Every Man Should Love. One of the rarest engines you can find in an early 70’s Dodge Charger is the 426 cubic inch Hemi V8. The 426’s asking price in 1970 was over . . . → Read More: 10 Ocean Species Every Man Should Love: Part 1

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The Large But Enigmatic Supergiant
The Large But Enigmatic Supergiant avatar

In 1899 a French zoologist named Edouard Chevreux with an inordinate fondness for crustaceans officially described two crustaceans from the deepest parts of the ocean. Over 100 hundred years later, scientists have collected less than two dozen specimens of this enigmatic shellfish, shocking given that is largest species of amphipod ever known. Within Crustacean . . . → Read More: The Large But Enigmatic Supergiant

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What’s your marine biology Bucket List?
What’s your marine biology Bucket List? avatar

There are so many amazing aquatic species out there, it’s practically impossible for any one person to see them all, even if they dedicated their entire life to marine biology research.  To that end, I reckon every good marine bio enthusiast needs a Bucket List of species to strive to see before they die.  I’m . . . → Read More: What’s your marine biology Bucket List?

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Extinct life is like a box of chocolates
Extinct life is like a box of chocolates avatar

I celebrated another lap around the sun this weekend, and in honour of that my friend Betty, who lives in Arizona, sent me a rather awesome gift.  It wasn’t elegantly wrapped; in fact, its contents were variously contained in a decidedly pedestrian mix of old bubble wrap, styrofoam noodles and plastic bags from Target AND . . . → Read More: Extinct life is like a box of chocolates

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