Announcement for @nationalacademies.org "State of the Science" address on 6/2 declares: "Since McNutt delivered her 2025 address, federal funding for science has held steady, but significant cuts are still being considered." Really? On what planet is funding steady & cuts being *considered*? a 🧵

The 100th anniversary of William Beebe's half-mile deep bathysphere dive is 2034. @katycroffbell.bsky.social we have 9 years to coordinate every deep-submergence vehicle on the planet to simultaneously dive to 800 meters on August 15, 2034.

Welp. This is a hell of a story. Canadian Mining Journal published what appeared to be an entirely fabricated deep-sea mining paper, with quotes from fictional people and a source paper that does not exist.

So this happened today. My office, lab, husbands office, lab… students offices… not great. Tough times ahead

Horrible, horrible news out of USF marine lab. Thankfully, no one is believed to be injured. But the fire today likely "total loss" -- thinking of all our colleagues who are grappling with the loss of their labs, gear, samples, and their research "home" 🐟🌍🌊🐙 www.tampabay.com/news/educati...

Bonus content! A tale of two slugs. Cute little size comparison between a couple of the slugs in this thread. A behemoth of a Jorunna nudibranch (it was probably 1.5cm at most 😅) dwarfing an even tinier Elysia sea slug. #InverteFest #invertebrates #MarineLife 🐙🦑🧪

@drandrewthaler.bsky.social correct me if I am wrong but wasn't its name the Aluminaut? Or was that another of their proposed submersibles?

So chonky...

The original configuration for the DSV-2 Alvin was absolutely adorable.

Here it is, your Monday moment of zen. 〰️⁠ ⁠ Big red jellies (Tiburonia granrojo) are found between 600–2,100 meters (2,000–7,000 feet), and their bells can reach up to one meter (3.3 feet) across. They are covered in tiny harpoon-like cells that stun prey.

Sharing with the #SciArt Feed:

Even the title is misleading - no evidence for the occupation of a top predator niche is provided. These are fascinating fossils - why not discuss them in a nuanced fashion?

I'm honestly speechless that such a sensationalist piece got published in Science (!). The most outrageous claim probably is that any evidence for lateralized behavior indicates "advanced intelligence". A critical reply to this is urgently needed ... www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Btw, the 19 m max. total length estimate for the Cretaceous octopus Nanaimoteuthis (now already cited everywhere) derives from upscaling this extant species, which barely reaches 50 cm in total length. There is no evidence that the two are closely allied. www.inaturalist.org/taxa/432536-...

I know everyone wants there to be a Giant Cretaceous Octopus but after looking at methods and tables, I really don't think this is a reality.

Left: How people think Mississippi votes Right: How Mississippi actually votes

Multiple oil spills are visible from space after Iranian and US-Israeli strikes hit oil facilities and ships in the region, with experts warning of an impending environmental catastrophe. https://cnn.it/3Ovxzwk

The only thing inevitable in the deep sea is discovery. Deep-sea wildernesses are more important than the promise of seafloor mining. news.mongabay.com/2026/04/deep...

Once upon a time I just admired nudis and sea slugs. But it was not enough. Now apparently I'm creating an R package to celebrate their colour palettes? 😅 First up, my Sydney fave, Hypselodoris bennetti. #rstats #nudibranch #dataviz 🦑🐙🧪 #marinelife #invertebrates

Not a nudi, but a sacoglossan sap-sucking sea slug, Elysia coodgeensis. 10/10 for alliteration, 12/10 for being tiny & stylish. The R package is just in need of some testing, and in the meantime, more palette-cards coming soon! 🎨 #MarineLife #invertebrates 🦑🐙🧪

Enjoy the mystery of a bloody-belly comb jelly at the Monterey Bay aquarium #MarineLife #Jellies #Lampocteis #Ctenophores #IntoTheDeep #MBARI #Invertebrates #ColorADay #RedWed

All the heart eyes for these tiny wonders 😍⁠ ⁠ Many animals that live in the dim waters of the ocean’s twilight zone have evolved powerful eyes to detect prey, mates, and predators in the dark. Hyperiid amphipods have developed remarkably diverse eyes, each with different functional capabilities.

You know how I do! All jokes aside this was a herculean effort to get published. Thankful for strong coauthors.

I am having an extremely rough mental health week. Help me get through by responding with adorable marine invertebrates. #marinelife

Slow your scroll and float with Flota ✨⁠ ⁠ The midwater bristle worm (Flota sp.) is a free-swimming worm often seen near the deep seafloor, more than 1,500 meters (4,921 feet) below the surface. These fascinating worms propel themselves by moving their bodies, parapodia, and spines. #MondayMood

Remember when United Airlines actually used to be decent? Now plagued with high cost tickets, additional costs, and poor customer service

My god. Have you ever seen close-ups of sea star skin? 🧪🌊🌿

Deep-sea hermit crabs from the Parapaguridae family live 1,000+ meters deep! Unlike typical hermits, they often use soft “homes” made by anemones or zoanthids instead of shells. #marinelife Image from @schmidtocean.bsky.social

This is everything my early week needed.

Because the #marinelife tag needs a lot more invertebrates have this deep-sea polychate! Photo from nautiluslive.org/blog/2020/12...

Here is big chonky deep-sea nudibranch for you. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xvw_... #marinelife

Adorable dog tax photos for Bluesky that @sydneymcdermott.bsky.social took while dog sitting for me.

If you don't think environmental accessibility matters. "The busiest shipping routes in the ocean only cover 2% of ocean area, but contain 18% of records and 41% of species."

This is so out of touch. I can tell you first hand that people living in poverty know far more about money and finances than those living in wealth.

That's Gertrude! The McClain lab mascot!

Getting into the 3D printing hobby. Starting off with a Creality Ender and a small 3D-Printed Giant Deep-sea Isopod. Also pictured here is the output from a new 2D printer. #LUMCON #memories. Thanks @drandrewthaler.bsky.social www.southernfriedscience.com/the-3d-print...

A new paper shows that deep-sea corals host dense communities of amphipods, including the spiny genus Epimeria. This individual was photographed at 921 m on a purple gorgonian. Photo from tinyurl.com/bdfrs85x

Spotted: Adorable baby deep-sea squid! 🥰 During a recent scientific cruise aboard MBARI’s R/V Rachel Carson, biologists from our education and conservation partner, @montereybayaquarium.org, encountered a baby glass squid bobbing along in the water column: www.mbari.org/news/mbari-d...

There is a mollusk journal names Festivus published by the San Diego Shell Club. And I can only think of one thing every time I encounter it.

NSF Update Funding curve overall. A little bit of progress in the past week, but only a little bit. Now by Directorate... 1/11

Directorate for Geosciences 5/11

Somewhere, in the vast depths of the abyss, there's a worm that lives on the corpse of a dead blue whale, consuming the oil that leaches from its bones. It's name is Osedax mucofloris, the bone-eating zombie snot flower worm. It will never see this video. Envy it.

For #molluscmonday the the red-lined bubble snail (Bullina lineata). Although delicate looking, they are voracious predators on small worms.

🌍🦑 This #OpenAccess study from 'Landscape Ecology' highlights how seascape ecology can link spatial patterns and ecological processes across abyssal and hadal depths. @drcraigmc.bsky.social bit.ly/3Zuto5L#OpenAccess#MarineEcology

Some more commensal brittle stars (Ophiothela mirabilis) on a purple octocoral (Leptogorgia rigida). Playa Balandra, La Paz, Baja California. 🦀🦑 #baja #tidepool #echinoderm

Smiley for the win!!! #spottedeagleray #eagleray #smiley #remora #remorahat #ftw #stingraysofcoralcity #coralcity #coralcitycamera #miami #coral #portmiami #biscaynebay

Today for our lab meeting we are reading about dolphin falls and I'll admit I'm. sucker for a good photo mosaic #marinelife www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...