Most fauna in the deep-sea rely upon a drizzle of particles of decaying animals and feces. This marine snow is of low food quality as…
View More Dead Elasmobranchs on the Seafloor are Not as Appetizing as One Might Assume
Author: Dr. M
Craig McClain is the Executive Director of the Lousiana University Marine Consortium. He has conducted deep-sea research for 20 years and published over 50 papers in the area. He has participated in and led dozens of oceanographic expeditions taken him to the Antarctic and the most remote regions of the Pacific and Atlantic. Craig’s research focuses on how energy drives the biology of marine invertebrates from individuals to ecosystems, specifically, seeking to uncover how organisms are adapted to different levels of carbon availability, i.e. food, and how this determines the kinds and number of species in different parts of the oceans. Additionally, Craig is obsessed with the size of things. Sometimes this translated into actually scientific research. Craig’s research has been featured on National Public Radio, Discovery Channel, Fox News, National Geographic and ABC News. In addition to his scientific research, Craig also advocates the need for scientists to connect with the public and is the founder and chief editor of the acclaimed Deep-Sea News (https://www.deepseanews.com/), a popular ocean-themed blog that has won numerous awards. His writing has been featured in Cosmos, Science Illustrated, American Scientist, Wired, Mental Floss, and the Open Lab: The Best Science Writing on the Web.
Nereus confirmed lost
In 2009, Nereus was the new $5 million hybrid-transformer-multipurpose-all knowing-swiss army knife of deep-sea research from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Nereus, primarily funded by NSF (…
View More Nereus confirmed lostWhat is the world's largest barrel sponge?
It is probably this 2.5 meter (8.2 feet) diameter giant that was a tourist attraction for scuba divers visiting Curaçao in the Caribbean in the…
View More What is the world's largest barrel sponge?
Sleuthing the Largest Snail
Reason #381 that I love my job I spent this morning doing this: In the last few days I have been tracking down the world’s…
View More Sleuthing the Largest SnailThe Ever Increasing Size of Godzilla: Implications for Sexual Selection and Urine Production
In 1954 Godzilla was a mere 50 meters (164 ft). In the newest movie, Godzilla is estimated to be 150 meters (492 ft). For comparison…
View More The Ever Increasing Size of Godzilla: Implications for Sexual Selection and Urine Production
The Playful World of the Scientific Acknowledgement
The post on carnivorous sponges, specifically the lead author naming a species after his wife, Named in honor of Eve Lundsten, beautiful wife of the…
View More The Playful World of the Scientific Acknowledgement
Velcro, romance, and consuming the flesh of crustaceans
When I describe my favorite sponge to others, yes I have a favorite sponge, I describe it like this: Imagine a mosquito lands on your…
View More Velcro, romance, and consuming the flesh of crustaceans
This is why we can't have nice things…like the ocean
I asked Professor Chris Parsons to contribute an editorial on the recent announcement by John Kerry for federal funding of a marine conservation conference this summer…
View More This is why we can't have nice things…like the ocean
The Floating Rocks of the South Pacific
In the South Pacific world building occurs every day. From beneath the ocean’s depths active submarine volcanoes eject molten lava and sulfuric gases well above…
View More The Floating Rocks of the South Pacific
Win A Giant Plush Giant Isopod!
What your life needs right now is a larger-than-life plush Giant Isopod. A common visitor to food falls, Giant Isopods are scavengers of the deep. …
View More Win A Giant Plush Giant Isopod!