The Unusual Abundance of Ascension Island
For a location that’s so difficult to reach, it’s astonishing how many speices have managed to make the journey
"oceanography"
Policing Seafood with DNA
A federal task force should look seriously at investing in genomic methods that allow the simultaneous study of multiple genes
The Richest Reef: To Collect or Not to Collect?
Scientific divers aren’t looking to simply fill their collecting bags—they’re seeking scientific value, data that furthers their understanding of a place or process.
The Richest Reef: Where Have All the Predators Gone?
In the most biologically diverse marine ecosystem on the planet, fishing has wiped out apex predators like barracuda, grouper and sharks
The Richest Reef: A Symbiotic Society
Editor's Note: "The Richest Reef" follows members of a scientific dive team as they attempt to pinpoint the center of the most biologically diverse marine ecosystem in the world...
To Hades and Back: Snailfish Surprise in the Kermadec Trench
ABOARD THE R/V THOMAS G. THOMPSON—On the scale of the Pacific Ocean, the Kermadec Trench looks like a thin line snaking down from southwest to northeast just off the northeastern tip of New Zealand’s North Island...
Oceanographer Sylvia Earle is a Glamour Woman of the Year
Her Deepness. The Sturgeon General. And now: Glamour Girl. On Monday night, renowned oceanographer Sylvia Earle earned a new moniker when she joined eight others in receiving a 2014 Glamour Woman of the Year Award at a celebrity-packed Carnegie Hall...
What Do Vampire Squid Really Eat? Hint: It’s Not Blood
Oxygen-poor zones are not just found off the coast of South America, as we saw last time. “Oxygen minimum zones” may occur throughout the world’s ocean’s at mid-water depths where food consumption is high but supplies of oxygen are low...
Missing Nitrogen May Be Vanishing in the Tubes of Giant Bacteria
Off the coast of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula lies a dark, still, deep place. It is called the Soledad Basin, and in it lies a garden of bacteria so large you can see them with your own eyes...
The Private Life of Plankton — in HD
Artistic, black and white photos of plankton — as we saw last time — are fabulous. But what if one hungers for HD? The Plankton Chronicles have got you covered.
Glass Sponges Poriferify — and Beautify — Impoverished Antarctic Neighborhood
Glass sponges are taking over a newly sunlit strip of Antarctic marine real estate at a blistering clip, surprising biologists who had no idea they had it in them.
![Shining Examples: 10 Bioluminescent Creatures that Glow in Surprising Ways [Slide Show]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/6D8530C1-DF5D-4D07-8065EF8D884A4AEB_agenda.jpg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
Shining Examples: 10 Bioluminescent Creatures that Glow in Surprising Ways [Slide Show]
A wide range of organisms generate their own light to seek mates, sustenance and survival--inspiring researchers and moviemakers alike
Slide Show: Glimpses of Undersea Life at Nation's New Marine Monuments
Palmyra Atoll, part of one of three new marine monuments, provides a snapshot of the bounty of life now protected
Bracing the Satellite Infrastructure for a Solar Superstorm
A recurrence of the 1859 solar superstorm would be a cosmic Katrina, causing billions of dollars of damage to satellites, power grids and radio communications
Slide Show: Science in Depth--Mini Subs Unlock Mysteries Deep Below the Ocean's Surface
New, improved human-operated and robotic submarines promise to give scientists access to most of the ocean floor, a place less explored than the moon or Mars
Tiny Ocean Plants Geoengineer Brighter Clouds
Marine life seems to create a reflective sunshade above the Southern Ocean
First Active Hydrothermal System Found beyond Earth
Saturn's icy moon Enceladus has a surprisingly warm inner world
![Taking Waves: FCC Green Lights Unlicensed Use of Wireless "White Space" Frequencies [Slide Show]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/5922E6F2-EA76-4E45-AFD528A59C3970C9_agenda.jpg?w=275&h=154&fit=crop)
Taking Waves: FCC Green Lights Unlicensed Use of Wireless "White Space" Frequencies [Slide Show]
But now comes the hard part: making phones, PCs and other mobile gadgets that can take advantage of the broadcast spectrum's strong signals
Secret Lives of Plankton Revealed in Microscopic Glory
The diversity of these ocean drifters, crucial to all life on Earth, is revealed in a new book
The "Black Piranha" of Ascension Island
A swarm of triggerfish demonstrates the benefits of mob feeding in the mid-Atlantic
