Sea star pile-up. ⭐️⁠ ⁠ These brittle stars are mud-loving animals, often found crawling across the muddy plains of the seafloor. This group of sea stars, known as Ophiuroidea, boasts a diverse number of species—more than 2,000 different species!

This is a very important scientific outreach project: Hallmark Christmas movies… but in the abyss. High-pressure romance included. Underwater and scientifically questionable. You’re welcome. Expect bioluminescent meet-cutes and emotionally unavailable octopuses. #Trenchmas

#science I am thinking about moving to an electronic lab notebook. Recs? Need something that plays nice with R, Zotero, GitHub

I had a fantastic time chatting with Hakeem Oluseyi on PBS NOVA’s “Particles of Thought” podcast. Check It out if you’re interested in hearing us talk about our backgrounds, science, and society. Thanks @pbs.org ! www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/vi...

Wow. I’m humbled, astonished, and to stand before you today as one of America’s Who’s Who. When I first got the email, I thought it was either a phishing scam or a long-lost relative trying to sell me essential oils. But no, turns out, it was my moment.

Psychropotes longicauda, the sea pig’s flamboyant cousin, trails a red sail over the seafloor. A tiny flag of existence waving in the dark.

In the midnight zone, the 7-armed octopus carries a jellyfish like a trophy and a tool—both shield and snack. #invertebrate #ocean www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzU8...

The irony of taking this administration's "Research Security Policies" training for federal science funding is not lost on me.

Carnivorous ‘death ball’ sponge among new species found in depths of Southern Ocean www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Glass Sponge and shrimp commensalism at 1500m

I don’t think people really understand when I say Giant Isopods can gorge themselves on a meal. Look at how much the stomach of this small male is extended from snacking on raw chicken in my trap.

Brittle star swimming! Love this movement.

Cheers from the Global Explorer ROV van!

Day three of the Deepwater Horizon work was a success. Unfortunately the red crabs still look like this…

Day two of our Deepwater Horizon cruise is a success!

I absolutely love the fact they've Pokemon-ised the museum staff, for the upcoming Pokémon partnership with the Field Museum. Museums, take note.

The bathysphere, invented in the 1930s, allowed humans to explore depths of over half mile deep underwater for the first time. At only 4 feet in diameter, the sphere was designed to hold TWO people! #deepsea #ocean #science

Nudibranchs as pictured by a Japanese illustrator named Kumataro Ito, artist for the USS Albatross’ Philippine Expedition, 1907–10. More of his stunning images here: publicdomainreview.org/collection/k...

🌊🔬 Grad Student Opportunity! I’m recruiting PhD students to explore marine biodiversity, body size, and bioenergetics with flexibility to design your own project! PDF of ad link below. #PhDPosition #MarineBiology #Macroecology #Biodiversity #GradSchool #Ecology #OceanScience tinyurl.com/5n9434wk

So sorry to hear this. I wish I couldn’t sympathize… my mom died shortly before a journal article revision was due and I was not granted an extension… still rather salty about that. Scientists are people, not emotionless robots.

This is now the second time I’ve not been allowed a professional allowance because I needed to focus on my family during the death close family member. #academia

Today’s mood

This bumpy snailfish video is everything I needed on this Monday.

I recently lost a close loved one making the last several weeks turmoil. My professional life went the wayside. I emailed a very large society in my field about accommodations me past the abstract deadline for the upcoming meeting. "Unfortunately, there are no extensions for abstract submission."

TLDR is that it a GIANT deep-sea limpet at a whopping 4.5 cm. Which is actually is a giant amongst the miniaturization of most deep-sea mollusks.

Nice coverage of a recently published paper "Flourishing chemosynthetic life at the greatest depths of hadal trenches" www.nature.com/articles/s41...

This has to be the worst usage of AI image generation. "Illustration of an underwater volcano off Vancouver Island revealing a nursery of giant skate ray eggs." www.sustainability-times.com/research/und...

@drandrewthaler.bsky.social time in the news cycle for us to revisit finding Earhart's plane.

Deep-sea mining is a false solution to our challenges

#WormWednesday. Imagine the Pompeii worm living at 176°F, toxic water. “Yeah, I live here now.” Meanwhile I complain about WiFi.

On #WormWednesday, remember the Osedax “bone-eating” worms: soft bodies, radical jaws, and a hunger for sunken skeletons. They teach us sometimes survival means feasting on the ruins of an empire. Image from @mbarinews.bsky.social

SNAILS CARRYING ENTIRE HOUSES ON THEIR BACKS!!! VERY INDEPENDENT, VERY STRONG. UNLIKE FREELOADERS, THESE MOLLUSCS EARN THEIR WAY. TRUE PATRIOTS OF THE DEEP. 🐌 #molluscmonday

THE COLOSSAL SQUID IS MASSIVE. MUCH BIGGER THAN PEOPLE THOUGHT. THEY SAID IT WAS A MYTH — WRONG. I’VE SEEN IT. TOTALLY DOMINATES THE OCEAN. OTHER SQUIDS? VERY WEAK. VERY SAD.

Finished a pencil crayon drawing of a Hirondellea gigas, loving this toned tan paper and how it can really pop the whites! Raise your hand if deep-sea Amphipods are totally your jam ✋ #deepsea #deepseacreatures #deepocean #amphipod #art #drawing 🦑🐡

Does anybody have a suggested output style for #endnote to use for #NSF grants? I am desperate need of one right now. #academia #science

I can honestly say as a deep-sea biologist and explorer that the greatest limitation to my work has been the lack of a Proutic Haripotator. #deepsea

Good God! This is fantastic. h/t @echinoblog.bsky.social

Listen to me on NPR's Short Wave podcast talking about deep-sea giants www.npr.org/2025/08/04/1...

@drcraigmc.bsky.social was wonderful in today's #ShortWave podcast! The tendency of animals to shrink or grow based on their environment, and all we still don't know about why, was fascinating!

Great documentary with amazing imagery, story telling, and sound science. Go watch now.

So is anybody else’s retirement plan to just work until noon of the day of their funeral or is that just me?

Remembering that time I saw Carrot Top. I don’t care what you think it was funny and I like prop comedy.

Too poor to science: how wealth determines who succeeds in STEM Thought-provoking read, especially in these times of questioning diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives 🧪

Flattered to be recognized in the Nature Daily Briefing.

Just so you know, sea spiders have multiple leg segments. Eight including two tibias and not counting the claws. #marinelife Illustration from Child in 1998, the father of Pycnogonids!

I want to thank everyone for the positive response on my latest paper. I had to put myself in a vunerable place to write and come to terms with the limitations my own career. I'm glad to see it register and speak for others.

Marine ecologist @drcraigmc.bsky.social decries the invisible costs — such as unpaid internships, self-funded conferences and underpaid graduate jobs — that exclude many people from careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

"Many talented scientists, disillusioned by constant financial insecurity, leave academia altogether, resulting in a significant brain drain that deprives the field of diverse perspectives and innovation." @drcraigmc.bsky.social‬ nails why I'm no longer a working scientist: doi.org/10.1371/jour...

🧪"The myth of meritocracy in science collapses under the financial sacrifices expected at every career stage...the hidden costs of ‘doing science’ are profound. These burdens disproportionately exclude those without generational wealth, compounded by race and gender." dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour...

An important read at any time, but especially now. #firstgen