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...
Exploring Ocean Life with an Underwater Vehicle
Dec 16 2011 - 4:46pm
Studies along the Northwest Atlantic Ocean shelf break- the transition from continental shelf to slope- by researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Rutgers University are revealing connections between physical processes in the ocean and the things that live there.
Jan 6 2011 - 10:18am
The world beneath the Arctic ice is magical, but cold. Divers have to tolerate temperatures of 30 degrees Fahrenheit (about -2° Celsius.) To stay warm they wear thermal undergarments and use special gear called dry suits. Sunlight filters through the ice layer bathing the underwater habitats...
Sep 20 2011 - 12:27pm
In the late 1990's, researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) invented the D-Tag—a radio device that can be attached by suction cups to a whale's back. Using a tiny underwater microphone, the tag records sounds that the whale makes and hears underwater. It also records depth,...
May 4 2011 - 4:45pm
When he was 10 years old, Stephen Cairns lived in Cuba where he kept a collection of butterflies and sea shells. When his family moved to Louisiana, he could bring only one of the collections with him. He chose the shells. He says that is when he knew he was going to be a marine biologist.
Reducing Bycatch
Jan 14 2011 - 1:18pm
Bycatch, the name given to fish and other ocean animals that are caught unintentionally, is a huge problem. Scientists and fishermen are joining forces to design new nets that catch only the targeted species, like haddock. Explore other videos that capture the beauty and mystery of the ocean realm...
Robotic Glider Evades Fishing Nets
Dec 8 2010 - 1:08pm
This is the world’s first unmanned, underwater robot—or “glider”—to cross an ocean basin, the pioneering Scarlet Knight. The robotic glider, also known as RU27, can dive to depths of 200 meters (660 feet) to collect data such as temperature, how salty the water is, and the speed and direction of...
Oct 29 2010 - 4:01pm
CREDIT: Provided by Rutgers University Glider Technology Now Used to Study Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico The first underwater robotic vehicle—or “glider”—to cross an ocean is the centerpiece of a new temporary exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. The U.S. Integrated...
Aug 17 2012 - 1:28pm
The Curasub departs for a deep sea dive, up to 1,000 feet off the island of Curaçao, where this sub is located. Smithsonian's Deep Sea Observation Project (DROP) is exploring these waters and using ARMS to better understand deep sea biodiversity. 
Apr 20 2011 - 4:30pm
Dive into the Gulf of Mexico without getting wet! The Smithsonian has recently uploaded some of its marine collections from that region onto Google Earth's Ocean Layer. Now you can go where our scientists have traveled and discover the biodiversity that exists beneath the water's surface. Want to...
Nov 22 2010 - 11:11pm
A small horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) rests on seaweed in Stage Harbor, Massachusetts. Atlantic horseshoe crabs can be found along the coast of North America from the Yucatán Peninsula to Maine. Read more about how the copper-based blue blood of horseshoe crabs has helped the medical industry...
Jan 6 2011 - 4:06pm
Expedition data went to the Arctic Ocean Diversity database of the Census of Marine Life to establish a baseline that will help to document change in the poorly known Arctic Ocean.
Jul 2 2012 - 3:05pm
Scripps Institution of Oceanography's FLoating Instrument Platform, or FLIP, conducts sea trials off San Diego in May 2009.
Mar 25 2010 - 11:32am
Sponsored by the United Nations, the Global Ocean Observing System is committed to sharing observations about the ocean to all nations. Some of the data they collect comes from buoys like the one shown here. The buoys help scientists investigate a host of environmental questions and issues,...
Aug 16 2012 - 1:45pm
Deploying ARMS (Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures) is tricky in the deep sea, where SCUBA divers can't place and secure them to the floor with their hands and a hammer. Researchers with DROP (Deep Reef Observation Project) had to redesign the methods for deploying and retreiving ARMS, using...
Jul 27 2011 - 11:12am
The Pisces IV submersible sits on a saddle near Kingman Reef in Hawaii next to a gold coral (Gerardia sp.).
Dec 8 2010 - 1:02pm
This illustration shows how Scarlet Knight, the first unmanned, underwater robot or glider to cross an ocean basin, faced an entire fleet of fishing ships, equipped with nets, threatening the glider’s path across the continental shelf. “Crossing the shelf is like running across the New Jersey...