Any diver returning from ocean depths knows about the hazard of decompression sickness (DCS) or “the bends.” As the diver ascends and the ocean pressure decreases, gases that were absorbed by the body during the dive, come out of solution and, if the ascent is too rapid, can cause bubbles to form in the body. DCS causes many symptoms, and [...]

Technique provides insight into ancient formation of underwater plateau NARRAGANSETT, R.I. – Scientists have long used the speed of seismic waves traveling through the Earth as a means of learning about the geologic structure beneath the Earth’s surface, but the seismic waves they use have typically been generated by earthquakes or man-made explosions. A University of Rhode Island graduate student [...]

UCSF scientists use tiny zebrafish to screen for drugs to help control obesity, diabetes, other conditions A tiny, translucent zebrafish that glows green when its liver makes glucose has helped an international team of researchers identify a compound that regulates whole-body metabolism and appears to protect obese mice from signs of metabolic disorders. Led by scientists at the University of [...]

Nylon, Kevlar and other synthetic fabrics: Step aside. If new scientific research pans out, people may be sporting shirts, blouses and other garments made from fibers modeled after those in the icky, super-strong slime from a creature called the hagfish. The study appears in ACS’ journal Biomacromolecules. Lead author Atsuko Negishi, her supervisor Douglas S. Fudge and colleagues explain that [...]

Ocean Conservancy today praised Washington state Governor Christine Gregoire and her Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification on the release of their new report and announced plan of action. The panel’s findings and the Governor’s Executive Order should serve as a model for other coastal states that are facing the same challenge of ocean acidification. The 28-member panel of scientists, [...]

An international group of scientists, including researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, are working to improve communication about ocean acidification to help the public better understand the pressing global issue. The term “ocean acidification” (OA) describes the changes that occur in the ocean as a result of increased emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. The rising acidic [...]

For The Zoological Society of London it is an epic day, they just released footage of a little-known species of seahorse, filmed off the coast of Senegal. The video shows the vibrantly orange West African seahorse, Hippocampus algiricus, bobbing in the water. Fisherman caught the seahorse to study it more closely, and released it, unharmed. A small step for Seahorse [...]

While wave watching is a favorite pastime of beachgoers, few notice what is happening in the shallowest water. A closer look by two University of Colorado Boulder applied mathematicians has led to the discovery of interacting X- and Y-shaped ocean waves that may help explain why some tsunamis are able to wreak so much havoc. Professor Mark Ablowitz and doctoral [...]

After 16 years of planning the countdown is on for one of the most ambitious scientific missions to Antarctica.   In October a 12-man team of British scientists, engineers and support staff will make the 16,000 km journey from the UK to go deep into the heart of the frozen continent to collect samples of water and sediments from an [...]

The blanket of sea ice floating on the Arctic Ocean melted to its lowest extent ever recorded since satellites began measuring it in 1979, according to the University of Colorado Boulder’s National Snow and Ice Data Center. The extent of Arctic sea ice reached a record low in the satellite record on Aug. 26 and is expected to continue dropping [...]