Category: Education

Researchers from the University of Miami and OceanX uncovered the mysterious “brine pools” at the bottom of the Red Sea in 2000. The team used an ROV to guide a separate collection device to retrieve water samples from the dense brine pools..

Findings available at: Nature.com 27jun2022

While exploring the Pacific Ocean in the region of Chile, Schmidt Ocean Institute scientists discovered a polychaete worm that has been described as a set of false eyelashes, a toilet scrubber or a deep sea Christmas tree.

Full article at: Earth.com nov2024

Did you know that corals need sunlight to survive. Corals are actually animals, with tiny, tentacle-like arms that they use to capture their food from the water and sweep into their mouths. Most corals also contain algae called zooxanthellae (pronounced zo-UH-zan-thuh-lay), which are plant-like organisms that need sunlight for photosynthesis to produce its own food / energy. The “animal” corals and “plant” algae each benefit from their symbiotic relationship, even at depths of 30m to 150m, where sunlight is scarce.

In deepwater environments, researchers from Curtin University have found that reef-building corals survive by kicking into ‘photosynthesis overdrive’ to enhance their ability to gain energy from sunlight and by upping their intake of microorganisms.

Full article at: MarineTechnologyNews 10may23

More info: NOAA Facts Are corals animals or plants?

Vitrumanthus flosculus, meaning “small flower” or “flowerette” in Latin, was discovered on underwater mountain ranges (seamounts), south of Japan’s coast. 

V. flosculus is remarkable for its small size (~ 1.5 to 2.5mm high and 1.0 to 2.5mm diameter) and for its close relationship with the glass sponges that serve as its hosts. Like other members of the Parazoanthidae family, these tiny creatures have a symbiotic relationship with glass sponges where they exist as polyps on the sponges’ surface.

Full article at: MSN World News dec24