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...
May 25 2012 - 1:37pm
Brian Skerry warily stares down his photography equipment on board the vessel Nai'a on an expedition to the Phoenix Islands. Read about the patience it takes as a traveling photographer and the work that goes into preparing for expeditions like the one pictured here. 
Nov 30 2011 - 2:08pm
In 2011, Oceana researchers spent two months surveying life and conditions in the Baltic Sea. The team covered more than 7,000 nautical miles and completed more than 130 dives. The data, samples, video, and photos they gathered may inform the expansion of marine protected areas. See some of the...
The Moorea Biocode Project
Nov 11 2009 - 5:48pm
Scientists on the tiny island of Moorea, in the Pacific, are gathering one of every life form large enough to pick up with tweezers. They're on a quest to build a detailed catalog of the entire ecosystem. Learn more about the island and the research being done there in our Casting a Wide Net...
The Baltic Sea faces challenges from pollution, algae blooms, over fishing, and invasive species.
Oct 12 2011 - 4:56pm
In the spring of 2011, a research crew from Oceana spent two months in the brackish Baltic Sea. The Baltic faces challenges from pollution, algae blooms, over fishing, and invasive species. Oceana researchers gathered data, samples, photographs, and videos with the goal of proposing an...
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
A cable connects a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to a ship at the surface, where it is operated by a pilot onboard the ship. The cable can extend for miles into the deep sea.
Jul 14 2011 - 12:30pm
Last week, Smithsonian research zoologists Dr. Jerry Harasewych and Dr. Martha Nizinski were in Curaçao looking for deep-sea marine gastropods and decapod crustaceans, respectively.
Aug 16 2012 - 2:21pm
Submarine pilot Bruce Brandt secures ARMS (Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures) to the submersible Curasub off the coast of Curacao. In shallow water, SCUBA divers can place these biodiversity-measuring structures on the seafloor by hand -- but in the deep, DROP (Deep Reef Observation...
Jun 7 2011 - 9:57am
Views of each sonar beam appear on the left side of this computer screen image while the path being mapped by the ship appears on the right.
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
Dive through the zones of the ocean to the deep ocean bottom, where many strange species live, and there are many yet to be discovered. Explore them in the Deep Ocean Exploration section.
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
This Japanese research ship Chikyu drills into the ocean floor to learn about Earth’s history and structure, and the mechanism of earthquakes in particular. Completed in 2005, it is the first scientific research ship that can drill up to 7,000 meters (23,000 feet) below the ocean floor to obtain...
National Ocean Science Bowl winning video
Jul 6 2010 - 2:35pm
From discovering new marine life to exploring the wreck of the Titanic, ROV’s and other technology are helping us get a closer look at the more than two thirds of our planet that are underwater. Find out how in Ocean Exploration: The Future--the winning video from the 2010 National Ocean Sciences...
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
Researchers use Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) like this one to study the diversity of coral reef organisms. They leave the structures underwater for about a year. Then they retrieve the ARMS and analyze what life forms have taken up residence. Read more about why researchers are...
The Ocean Drilling Vessel Chikyu
Dec 8 2009 - 10:57pm
The Chikyu allows scientists to gather and study data about seafloor sediments as soon as they are collected. After a powerful 9.0 earthquake triggered a devestating tsunami in Japan in March 2011, Japanese officials decided to use the Chikyu to explore the underwater fault zone.
Tracking Tsunamis
Jan 14 2011 - 1:16pm
Tsunamis, giant waves caused by underwater earthquakes, speed across the ocean at 400 miles per hour. Early warning systems, such as NOAA’s DART systems, are key to saving lives. Today, 47 DART stations are positioned all around the world ready to detect and warn coastal communities about the next...
Jun 7 2011 - 10:26am
The robotic arm of the Jason, a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), collects several stalks of black coral from the seafloor. Read more about how underwater vehicles help ocean scientists study deep-sea corals in the multimedia feature "Coral Gardens of the Deep Sea."  
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
Alvin, a human occupied vehicle (HOV), returns to the ship after a deep ocean dive to a seamount.