Sarah Keartes
Author bio
Sarah Keartes’s Contributions:
Dolphins Shrug Off Hot Sauce–Spiked Nets
Fishing nets laced with spice did nothing to deter hungry dolphins, leaving fishers searching in their bid to beat depredation.
Nov 21, 2022 | 650 words, about 3 minutes
How Giant Isopods Got Supersized
Scientists are diving into the genome of an overgrown crustacean to understand how some deep-sea creatures got so big.
Aug 31, 2022 | 700 words, about 3 minutes
Unlocking the Mysteries of the Outer Coast Killer Whales
Off the United States west coast, an assemblage of outer coast killer whales hunt from deep-water canyons.
Oct 4, 2021 | 900 words, about 4 minutes
The Gull Next Door
Your obnoxious neighbor or just a misunderstood, displaced seabird?
Jun 22, 2021 | 3,300 words, about 17 minutes
Clever Cuttlefish Have Passed the Marshmallow Test
Cuttlefish show they can be patient and ignore a snack that’s right in front of them to hold out for a more tantalizing treat.
Mar 2, 2021 | 900 words, about 4 minutes
The Infinitesimal Life Aboard Sea Turtles
Sea turtles carry far more hitchhikers than scientists expected.
Jul 15, 2020 | 550 words, about 2 minutes
What Drifting Car Tires Can Tell Us about Dead Sea Otters
Scientists finally unveil the results of an experiment left to languish for 25 years.
Jan 3, 2020 | 650 words, about 3 minutes
Fighting Penguins Lead with Their Left
Like humans and a range of other animals, Magellanic penguins have a dominant side.
Jul 18, 2019 | 650 words, about 3 minutes
The Precarious Protection of Alaska’s Ringed Seals
The State of Alaska is petitioning the federal government to take ringed seals off the endangered species list. Others say not so fast.
Jun 5, 2019 | 850 words, about 4 minutes
Bearded Seals Are Maturing Younger and Having More Pups
Both are signs of a healthy population—but scientists caution these Arctic animals are no champions of climate change resilience.
May 6, 2019 | 700 words, about 3 minutes
Parasite-Eating Lumpfish Are Being Put to Work, but First They Need to Be Kept Alive
Scientists are experimenting with anesthetic to prevent tiny lumpfish from dying as they’re transported from farm to farm.
Apr 11, 2019 | 800 words, about 4 minutes
British Columbia Humpbacks Try Out a Mellow New Hunting Strategy
With a little help from their avian friends, humpbacks off Vancouver Island hunt by using their mouths as giant fish traps.
Dec 14, 2018 | 750 words, about 3 minutes
Photosynthesis Makes a Sound
The ping of algae turning sunlight into energy adds to the soundscape of marine ecosystems.
Nov 29, 2018 | 600 words, about 3 minutes
Sea Lamprey Love That New Baby Smell
Scientists discover larval sea lamprey release a pheromone that attracts invasive adults, opening the door to a new management technique.
Oct 26, 2018 | 850 words, about 4 minutes
Scientists Discover an Underwater Pollinator
A first of its kind, this marine plant is pollinated by zooplankton and invertebrates.
Nov 15, 2016 | 500 words, about 2 minutes
These Whales Suffocated When Fish Got Lodged in Their Blowholes
Blowhole in one.
Nov 25, 2015 | 600 words, about 3 minutes
Virgins Gone Wild
No need for males: wild sawfish can reproduce asexually.
Jun 1, 2015 | 550 words, about 2 minutes