Coral reef

The crew of the Falkor (too) research vessel is at it again: In January, the team discovered four underwater mountains off the coast of Chile. The vessel has now identified 29 seamounts, hills, and trenches since 2012.Is The Great Barrier Reef Healing?The seamounts range in height from 5,220 feet (1,591 meters) to a staggering 8,796 feet (2,681 meters). For reference, Burj Khalifa—the world’s tallest building—is half that size at 2,717 feet tall. The seamounts were not previously included in any bathymetry database the…

Thousands of fish littered the shores of Quintana Beach and Bryan Beach in Texas this past weekend after low oxygen in the water killed off fish in the region, ABC13 News reported.Strange New Worlds' Melissa Navia Talks About Star Trek Fan Reactions | io9 InterviewThe die-off began on Friday and continued until Sunday. According to officials from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the low oxygen affected an area large enough to have depleted water quality for thousands of marine animals in that part of the Gulf.…

A team of scientists say they’ve figured out the cause of a devastating sea urchin die-off that occurred last year along the waters of the Caribbean Islands and Florida. The algae-eating sea urchins were likely wiped out by microscopic organisms known as ciliates. While the mystery has been solved, it’s not clear exactly how the outbreak started, and the die-off will have dire long-term effects on the region’s coral reefs and ecosystem.Gillian Jacobs Reacting to Her D&D Character Sheet From Community | io9 InterviewIn…

In the Atlantic Ocean, between the coasts of West Africa and the Caribbean, there’s a disjointed series of mats and clumps of brown, tangled algae known as sargassum seaweed. It’s supposed to be there. Or, at least, some of it is. In the Sargasso Sea—the only sea without a land border, bounded instead by four currents—sargassum offers critical habitat to marine life and is an integral part of the ecosystem.What Was Your First Experience with Super Mario Bros? | io9 InterviewBut in recent years, things have gotten off…

Most city-building games play out the same way. You start with an empty stretch of land and slowly start filling it up with roads and houses. In no time, that blank canvas becomes a thriving metropolis filled with shops, skyscrapers, and power plants that are most assuredly doing a number on the atmosphere. It’s rare that we ever get to take a different approach, using that plot of land to create spaces that aren’t explicitly for humans. That’s where Terra Nil swoops in. Terra Nil - Reveal Trailer Developed by Free…

Photo: Lea Rae (Shutterstock)Scientists in China say they’ve begun to develop what could be the first of a new and improved generation of sunscreens. In mice, their experimental polymer appeared to provide greater protection against ultraviolet radiation than commercial products. It also wasn’t absorbed through the skin and seemed to be non-toxic to coral, two concerns have arisen in recent years (though whether modern sunscreens actually pose any significant health or environmental risks remains contentious).The…