Category Archives: Uncategorized

Check out this awesome sculpture created by Morgan Herrin which was featured at the ADA Gallery in Virginia.  This one is made out of lumber (!) but is made to look like brain coral and probably something favites on the side.  Something new at the intersection of Reefs and Art.… More:

This incredible photo by William Goodwin was taken at Lighthouse Atoll in Belize.  William is a huge fan of sponges and this image was selected for includion in the “Art of Photography” show in the San Diego Art Institute.  The photo required William to hold his camera completely still with one hand and to illuminate the back of the vase sponge with a handheld light.  The results speak for themselves and turn into a work of art featuring our favorite Aiptasia eater, the Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata pederseni).  More information on what went into getting the photo and the art exhibit are HERE.… More:

It’s a well known fact that we know very little about what occurs in the world’s oceans, and the deep sea has been almost a complete mystery until the past 50 years.  Scientists are now using a combination of technologies to analyze some of the animals that inhabit these dangerous depths, instead of simple trawling they make use of pressurized containment vessels to preserve animals on their way up to the surface.  The lack of pressure causes these animals to die, but if they are brought up in a proper way they can remain intact and sometimes will live long enough for scientists to analyze and identify them.  This collection of photos from David Wrobel, a former biologist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, highlights with excellent clarity the amazing animals that have rarely been photographed.  These animals pull some incredible stunts to stay alive at the bottom of the ocean and their appendages are nothing short of mindblowing.  The specialization of these animals should keep us busy for many years trying to mirror their abilities with technology, which always seems to be 10 steps behind what evolution has wrought.  Check out the incredible photos HERE.… More:

ScienceDaily reports on a study recently published in Science magazine involving marine microbes called cyanobacteria, which are found to live symbiotically with single-celled algae. First discovered in 1998 by Professor Jonathan Zehr from the University of Santa Cruz, cyanobacteria is a nitrogen-fixing photosynthetic bacterium that “lacks the genes needed to carry out photosynthesis and other essential metabolic pathways.”    Image courtesy of Rachel Foster, MPI But new research finds that cyanobacterium receives the carbon it needs to survive via a host cell and in turn, the bacterium provides the cell with vital nitrogen. This symbiotic relationship utilizes the bacterium’s ability to take nitrogen from the atmosphere and convert it “into a form that other organisms can use.” Scientists from both the University of Santa Cruz and the University of Hawaii participated in this study, along with Rachel Foster of the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology. Read more here!… More: