Gotta love it – the plan to dive the methane seas of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon – in 2040 nonetheless. That’s right around the corner in space exploration years! Despite being in a bit of a science funding slump in recent years, it seems sights are being set on some very bold horizons; manned missions…
Read MoreHrrmppff – the ‘D’ word strikes again: dangerous. Last night I received an email from a colleague that spread the word about the opening of ‘Deepsea Challenge 3D’, the film highlighting James Cameron’s epic descent to the bottom of the Marianas Trench. With big ocean exploration projects far and few between in recent years, this…
Read MoreCorrection: this mission has been rescheduled for summer 2015 following technical difficulties in 2014. Stay tuned! The first scientific exploration mission utilizing the Exosuit ADS is taking place this summer (2014), approximately 100 miles off of the Rhode Island Coast at a location called the Canyons, while working in the mesopelagic environment (depths of 200…
Read MoreToday I’m very excited to share a recent publication by the collaborative team from Luminescent Labs: Sparks JS, Schelly RC, Smith WL, Davis MP, Tchernov D, et al. (2014) The Covert World of Fish Biofluorescence: A Phylogenetically Widespread and Phenotypically Variable Phenomenon. PLoS ONE 9(1): e83259. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0083259 link In laypersons terms – more than a decade…
Read MoreSome will say that every day out to sea is better than a day at the office. I’ve had my share of bad days at sea for certain, but today was certainly one of those good days. Calm seas, good company, and putting some new technology to the test. Dr. Vincent Pieribone (left), Dr.…
Read MoreThere have been several reports of bizarre creatures washing up on the beach in recent months – triggering some hype about the field of ‘cryptozoology‘. This science, defined as the ‘study of hidden animals’, is arguably indeed a science – despite the overpowering popular myths and folklore that bring the body of work to the public.…
Read MoreHaving spent the last twenty days living and working within the surreal dimension of the island nation of the Solomons, I’ve had ample time to reflect on the underwater experience afforded from this pristine part of the Pacific‘s coral triangle. It’s difficult to call any field experience like this ‘routine’, though in many ways it…
Read MoreAmong the ambitious field agenda for this expedition to continue fluorescence exploration in the Solomon Islands is carrying out the work across the full spectrum of depths – from shallow flats and mangroves, to coral reefs, through the mesophotic zone, to scratching the surface of the aphotic realm, where light fades to black. Complicating this…
Read MoreWe are all affected, and we were all targets in yesterday’s tragic event at the Boston Marathon. With a half million people drawn into the city for this one event, and less than a few degrees of separation, each and every one of us feels the impact of this blow to our community. So many…
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