A Cure for Coral Reefs?Article 02.28.2018Scientists hope that dosing damaged corals with probiotics could fortify reefs against pollution, disease, and climate change.
Lens of Time: Corals in MotionVideo 06.18.2016Corals occupy their own time dimension, but if given enough time, they reveal a surprising array of behaviors that give them an edge deep below the ocean’s surface.
High and DryArticle 08.20.2023Utah’s immense Great Salt Lake has receded in recent years, revealing the microbial reefs crucial to its ecosystem.
From Weed to WonderPhoto Essay 03.11.2023Once dismissed as an underwater nuisance, scientists are beginning to see seagrass meadows as vital to marine and coastal health.
What Conservation Sounds LikeArticle 02.17.2023New bioacoustic tools are revolutionizing scientific research and enabling much quicker conservation efforts around the globe.
Saving the Dragon’s BloodArticle 10.12.2022Despite a range of threats, from droughts and cyclones to goats and militarization, Socotra’s iconic trees are staging a slow, patient comeback—with the help of the people who know them best.
Forest OrphansSpotlight 10.12.2022Swaddled symbols of hope and regeneration, orphaned flying foxes rest up and grow, preparing for their role as some of Australia’s most important forest stewards.
The Big Picture 2022Photo Gallery 06.08.2022From the beautiful to the bizarre, this photographic showcase of life on Earth shines a light on some of our planet’s most amazing species and places.
Downward SpiralArticle 06.04.2022The nautilus’s lineage made it through all five of Earth’s previous mass extinctions. But can it survive the Anthropocene?
Bringing out the DeadArticle 10.28.2021By sinking a wide array of carcasses into the deep ocean and studying what turns up when they fall, scientists are learning about some of the world’s most exotic scavengers and the roles they play in the darkness.
The Big Picture 2021Photo Gallery 05.27.2021From the beautiful to the bizarre, this photographic showcase of life on Earth shines a light on some of our planet’s most amazing species and places.
Antarctica’s Upside Down WorldArticle 05.12.2021Clinging to the underside of ice hundreds of meters thick, strange communities of sea life eke out a living in perpetual darkness. Now, researchers are racing to find and study these creatures before they—and their ice sheets—disappear.
Swamp SentinelsArticle 02.18.2021Buried in mud for millennia, some of New Zealand’s ancient kauri trees are revealing surprising clues about Earth’s climate—past, present, and future.
Layers of LifeSpotlight 11.12.2019On a crowded coral reef, species often make their homes on top of one another (literally), living lives that are tightly intertwined both biologically and evolutionarily.
Beguiling IntruderSpotlight 10.30.2019Lionfish are hungry, long-lived, and extremely fertile invaders in their new-found Atlantic home.
Hawaii’s Ancient Aquaculture RevivalArticle 06.12.2019In an ocean state that now imports half of its seafood, a determined group of activists is restoring the age-old aquaculture practices of Native Hawaiians.
The Lobster WarsArticle 05.29.2019In one coastal Mexican town, a sustainable fishery anchors the community. So why has Florida outlawed the same fishing methods?
Allure of the Flower HatSpotlight 02.27.2019What looks like a flamboyant fashion accessory is actually this jelly’s brilliant evolutionary strategy for attracting prey.
Banquet on LegsSpotlight 01.25.2019When an octopus known for its size and hunting prowess encounters a football-field-sized team of spider crabs, the outcome isn’t what you might expect.
The Unsung ReefPhoto Essay 01.25.2019Australia’s corals may get all the headlines, but the country’s kelp-dominated temperate reefs are at least as important and imperiled. Now they’re finally getting the restoration focus they deserve.
