Octopus Odyssey – 4K ROV Highlights

The scenes documented on video during the Octopus Odyssey expedition are stunning and informative. Of course, octopus were the “stars of the show:” we documented octopus nurseries with hundreds of Muusoctopus species brooding viable eggs in low-temperature hydrothermal fluids, saw how octopus mothers protect and clean their eggs, as well as observed predators rapidly descending … Continued

Faith in Independent Thinking – Science Story

“If I had to explain to an Extraterrestrial what life in my home planet is, I would never even mention a human – Life in my home planet is truly microbes living in an ocean of darkness.” It isn’t often we get to share a video containing deep-sea science, a total solar eclipse, heavy metal, … Continued

Deep-Sea Exploration in Latin America

Traducción al español a continuación Have you ever been afraid of the dark? I remember that when I was little, I was always scared when my parents turned off the lights in my room because I thought there could be monsters in the darkness that would harm me. Today, it amazes me that living in … Continued

Al País de Aguas Profundas – Week 2 Video Update

English translation below “Creo que la expedición es una gran oportunidad para que los costarricenses conozcamos mejor nuestro mar profundo, ya que realmente somos un país de mar profundo. La tercera parte de nuestro país está por debajo de los 3000 m y protegiendo este patrimonio que tenemos, pero que recién estamos conociendo, es extremadamente … Continued

Discovering New Species and Exploring Deep-sea Microbiomes

Traducción al español a continuación Ten to 30 million species are estimated to exist on our planet, yet only ~1 million of these have been formally described. These estimates do not include the vast majority of microbial life, let alone how microbes interact with animals. A major goal of scientific discovery is to understand not … Continued

Fluid Flow through the Crust

Traducción al español a continuación In addition to the biologists studying octopus, the science party on the Falkor (too) includes a geophysicist (me) and a hydrogeologist (Dr. Rachel Lauer).  Our role is to study what is happening beneath the seafloor to understand better the “plumbing” that moves fluids into and out of the ocean crust, … Continued

Odyssey Origins – Week 1 Video Update

The Octopus Odyssey expedition is currently underway in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Costa Rica, with the objective of investigating underwater mountains that scientists believe harbor distinctive habitats and biodiversity. The multidisciplinary science team aims to gain a deeper understanding of the hydrogeology, microbiology, ecology, and geochemistry that potentially contribute to the captivating … Continued

Returning to the Dorado Outcrop

Traducción al español a continuación The Octopus Odyssey expedition has begun! Our goal is to return to the place where deep-sea octopus were first discovered brooding their eggs in low-temperature hydrothermal fluids venting from a tiny outcrop of rock offshore Costa Rica, at a depth of over 3,000 meters (almost 10,000 feet). In 2013, a … Continued

Seafloor Mapping

R/V Falkor is equipped with a suite of the most advanced multibeam sonar systems available to oceanographers. Other Falkor sonar systems are designed to characterize fish and plankton assemblages, to measure currents, and to create images of the rock and sediment patterns found beneath the seafloor. Bathymetry imagery shows a clear difference between shapes showing … Continued