Latest news with #RolexPerpetualPlanetOceanExpedition
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Extraordinary Discovery: First-Ever Sighting of Live, Massive Antarctic Squid Caught on Camera
Striking Footage of the Elusive Squid, Gonatus Antarcticus, Seen Alive in the Wild for the First Time: HERE Surprise Discovery Documented Aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute Vessel During National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Ocean Expedition Reported Exclusively on HERE WASHINGTON, June 10, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Researchers on the National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Expedition in the Southern Ocean have recorded a history-making sighting of a three-foot-long deep-sea squid species that has never before been seen alive. The Gonatus antarcticus squid, an elusive squid found only in the frigid waters around Antarctica, was discovered on Christmas Day by the Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel, the R/V Falkor (too), in a surprise moment caught on camera via the research vessel's remotely operated vehicle (ROV), SuBastian. The footage, available HERE, will be broadcast in an upcoming National Geographic documentary. Prior to the astonishing discovery, the species was only known from carcasses in fishing nets or when the squids' beaks were found in the stomach of fished marine animals. Footage of the squid shows the animal with scratches on its arms and fresh-looking sucker marks on its mantle but otherwise shows it is in good shape. Spotted at a depth of approximately 2152 meters in the Weddell Sea, researchers have not been able to confirm the squid's sex from the footage, nor age, but the discovery is a reminder of how much more there is to learn about the relatively unexplored polar regions of our world's ocean. According to squid expert Dr. Kathrin Bolstad, who worked with marine biologist, ecophysiologist and expedition team member Manuel Novillo on the species identification, the large single central hook observed on each tentacle club clinched her confirmation that the squid was the elusive Gonatus antarcticus. The research team also mapped several previously unexplored sites throughout the Southern Ocean, including depths that reached 4000 meters, obtaining various samples of sediment, water and biota to study the health of various Southern Ocean habitats, including abyssal plains, hydrothermal vents, troughs, canyon walls and sea ice. This work was conducted aboard the 110-meter global ocean-class R/V Falkor (too) in collaboration with the Schmidt Ocean Institute, which provided National Geographic Explorers the opportunity to leverage its state-of-the-art tools and capabilities during its maiden voyage to the Southern Ocean. Part of the National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Ocean Expedition, the mission was to provide a comprehensive scientific examination of the impact of climate and environmental change in and around the Weddell Sea, an area prioritized for marine protection and one of the few near-pristine ecosystems on the planet. Read the full story and see the incredible footage on HERE VISUALS AVAILABLE: Images and footage available to download HERE View source version on Contacts MEDIA CONTACTS: Anna Kukelhaus - 202.258.8020Caitlin Holbrook - 716.225.0502
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National Geographic
09-06-2025
- Science
- National Geographic
Anya Brown is investigating microbes' critical role in coral reefs
'So the clue was, 'This temperate coral undergoes quiescence in the winter. Another word for this is … ?'' Anya Brown has spent most of her adult life around coral reef systems. Her brother, meanwhile, has cultivated a career as a writer on the American quiz show, 'Jeopardy!' He once consulted her for a marine science question idea, which aired on season 39 (episode 8924) of the series. 'The word was 'hibernation,'' Brown reveals, and it had formed the basis of her post-doctoral research assessing how corals go dormant, and what happens to their microbial communities when they do. She's devoted her career to investigating how microbes influence ecology and the evolution of macroscopic species. 'So, I go from the teeny tiny, to the large,' says Brown, a marine biologist, ecologist, National Geographic Explorer and assistant professor at the University of California, Davis. Since 2022, Brown has been a lead scientist on the National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Ocean Expedition in Rarotonga, the most populous of the Cook Islands. In close collaboration with the Cook Rarotonga nonprofit organization Kōrero O Te 'Ōrau , local partners Teina Rongo, Jackie Rongo and Siana Whatarau, and fellow UC Davis professor Dr. Rachael Bay, Brown has planted and monitored a coral nursery to better understand the nuances of coral bleaching — the loss of the coral's nutrient supply via two important types of microbes: symbiotic bacteria and algae (also called zooxanthellae), which live in coral tissues. The team is examining the role of microbes and coral genetics in heat tolerance and bleaching resistance . 'It turns out some coral species are far more resistant to bleaching, meaning they don't respond to the heat stress, than others,' explains Brown. The team's findings could hold promising implications for the recovery of dwindling marine life as rising ocean temperatures have caused more frequent, longer-lasting bleaching events in recent years. Moreover, 'It's possible that some species that don't bleach under heat stress, are rescuing coral types that do.' This would be consistent with Brown's research in Little Cayman, Cayman Islands, which found that nursery corals organized with different genotypes decreased disease. But to say with more certainty whether this is the case in Rarotonga, the team needs to start by examining coral DNA.
