Drawing the Deep Sea from a Seat on the Shore

In the 1930s, artist Else Bostelmann illuminated in art what scientist William Beebe dictated to her from his cramped seat in a spherical steel bathysphere as it explored the deep sea off Bermuda. She also set up an underwater studio.

May 16, 2023 | 1,300 words, about 6 minutes

A Moonshot for Coral Breeding Was Successful

But the coral are trapped in tanks, still waiting to be released on the reefs.

Sep 27, 2022 | 2,500 words, about 12 minutes

Besieged by Sargassum, Caribbean Islanders Are Looking for Solutions

The Cayman Islands tried to vacuum sargassum from the water to unclog a popular bay. It didn’t work. Now, locals are left wondering what will.

Sep 21, 2022 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

The Puerto Rican Plain Pigeon Can’t Take Another Big Hurricane

Hampered by habitat loss and besieged by climate change–boosted hurricanes, this Caribbean species may not survive the next big storm.

Sep 19, 2022 | 650 words, about 3 minutes

The Queen Conch’s Gambit

The first and only queen conch hatchery and nursery run by local fishers is poised for duplication across the Caribbean—but even if conch farming can help ease overfishing, can it survive in warming, storm-lashed seas?

Apr 26, 2022 | 4,200 words, about 21 minutes

One Great Shot: A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Inner Space

For an amphipod finding its way through black seas, 42 is not the answer—a sea squirt is.

Mar 11, 2022 | 200 words, 1 photo

Seaweed Is Putting Sea Turtles in a Hot Mess

The great Atlantic sargassum belt is inundating turtle nesting beaches with seaweed, causing a raft of problems.

Dec 13, 2021 | 650 words, about 3 minutes

For Artificial Coral Reefs, Time Is Not Enough

Researchers hoped that, given long enough, artificial coral reefs would grow to match natural reefs. But an examination of a 200-year-old artificial coral reef shows that’s not necessarily the case.

Aug 4, 2021 | 600 words, about 3 minutes