Blog

Charles Darwin’s observations on the Galápagos Islands set into motion his theory of evolution by the means of natural selection. And indeed Islands are experiments in evolution; on islands there is freedom from competition and species have access to new habitats. They have more unique species than other places.

As the atmosphere has warmed due to human-driven climate change, the ocean has taken up an excessive amount of both heat and carbon dioxide. These changes are impacting many marine organisms now in ways we are just starting to understand — and likely in ways we don’t yet understand.

The deep sea is dark, mysterious and mostly unexplored. As technology improves scientists gain more resources to help reveal more and more about the largest habitat on earth. We consider ourselves very fortunate to live on Monterey Bay where the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) is on the cutting edge of deep-sea research.

Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is taken up by the ocean. In fact, scientists estimate that about 45% of the carbon dioxide emitted by humans has been absorbed by the ocean. What happens to it in the ocean?

We have so many drugs to help with our aches and pains and illnesses. Where did those drugs come from? Until recently, most of our early drugs were derived from plants. When scientists search for possible useful products from plants, animals and microorganisms it’s called bioprospecting. In recent decades, marine scientists have been looking at natural compounds from the immense diversity of marine animals as a source of potential new medicines.    By Nancy Burnett and Natasha Fraley

When the Going Gets Tough, (Science) Teachers Get GOING!I marvel at science teachers on any given day, but their adaptability when COVID 19 first struck - spinning us into the multilayered spiral of anxiety-  has me gobsmacked.     By Denise Ryan 

Imagine being half way across the Pacific ocean on a tiny island with two million birds. That’s what I did in February just before the world locked down and the atoll closed to visitors. We were so lucky to have the chance to visit this amazing place. It was a chance in a life time for me,  and what a memory I now have as I sequester at home! By Nancy Burnett, Founder of Shape of Life

I’ve been hanging out with my honeybees a lot lately. There are many reasons for this, including: Hives are swarming like gangbusters in our neighborhood.

Tiny calcium carbonate shells tell us how fast the ocean is acidifying.We were alarmed by recent headlines that said, “Waters Off California Acidifying Faster Than Rest of Oceans, Study Shows.”

No one could be happier than us that Australia has finally had a reprieve from the devastating fires.A massive dump of water - more than 400mm (15.7in) in some places - caused flooding and transport chaos, but also helped finish off many of the fires.