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A Chicago-sized iceberg recently broke away from Antarctica, giving scientists the chance to explore a portion of the sea floor that may have been hidden for centuries.

Multimillion-dollar estates in the wealthy cliff-dwelling enclave of Rancho Palos Verdes in Southern California are slowly sliding toward the ocean, yet they still carry hefty price tags. Almost 200 homes in the area are listed for sale, ranging from an $899,000 condo to a $22 million seven-bedroom mansion. However, most are not affected directly by the land movement, which is concentrated in an area called Portuguese Bend. "Portuguese Bend is clearly on borrowed time," says LAist. New aerial mapping showed the long-known and slow-moving landslides on the bluffs have sped up due to heavy rain in 2023 and early 2024,...

Scientists have been left baffled after discovering something vast and radioactive lurking in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. An international team of scientists has found unexpectedly high levels of the rare radioactive isotope beryllium-10 in samples from the Pacific seabed. And they believe it could have been caused by a blast of radiation from space more than 10 million years ago. Beryllium-10 is an isotope - a variant of an element with a different number of neutrons in its atomic nuclei, formed when cosmic rays hit oxygen and nitrogen in the upper atmosphere. After forming, this isotope falls to...

Shell announced its withdrawal from the Atlantic Shores offshore wind farm project in the US, resulting in a write-off of nearly $1 billion. The decision was disclosed in the company's quarterly earnings report on Thursday, marking another setback for the American offshore wind industry. Shell's decision to exit the project comes as the industry faces challenges from President Donald Trump's executive orders aimed at halting its development. This is a significant shift from the support the industry enjoyed under Joe Biden, despite the recent increase in costs. Shell's Chief Financial Officer, Sinead Gorman, explained the decision during a call with...

In this episode, Sal Mercogliano—a maritime historian at Campbell University (@campbelledu) and former merchant mariner — discusses the use of seawater and how it can be utilized to fight the wildfires in southern California.

White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby stated that shooting down one of the mysterious drones over the ocean can’t be done because “we have to develop the policy options based on what we know we’re dealing with here and we just don’t know enough” to do something like that. Host Martha MacCallum asked, “Why not just take one down and figure out what’s going on?” Kirby responded, “Well, okay, the idea of taking something down, again, you’ve got — you want to worry about public safety. First of all, we don’t have enough conclusions to take that kind...

Summary of Video Transcript:Introduction to the Investigation (2:08–2:29)Reporter Rich McHugh shares his initial skepticism about the mysterious drones over New Jersey. His firsthand experience changed his perspective, finding the drones more sophisticated than expected.Drone Sightings and Characteristics (2:30–3:22)McHugh observes 40–50 drones in one evening, appearing as fixed-wing aircraft with colorful blinking lights, about 8–10 feet wide. These drones are unlike airplanes or typical drones seen before.Sheriff’s Department Investigation (3:23–4:10)Ocean County Sheriff's Department launched their own drones to intercept the mysterious drones. Mysterious drones do not emit heat like regular drones, perplexing investigators. A sworn officer reported seeing 50 drones rising...

A new study reveals a 30-year acceleration of equatorial Pacific currents, driven by stronger winds, with implications for global climate and El Niño patterns. The findings, based on NOAA-supported data, may enhance climate model accuracy and ENSO predictions. A crucial ocean layer essential to the dynamics of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). A recent study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans reports a marked acceleration in upper-ocean circulation within the equatorial Pacific over the last three decades. The primary driver of this acceleration is intensified atmospheric winds, resulting in stronger and shallower ocean currents. These changes may influence...

Japan’s $26bn discovery: A deep-sea jackpot with a deep-seated cost. In a discovery that’s got economists giddy and environmentalists reeling, Japan has found something very special deep under the Pacific Ocean. Scientists have uncovered a seabed covered with nodules near Minami-Tori-shima Island worth a staggering $26.29 billion. But while the find promises to turbocharge Japan’s economy for the next decade, critics warn it could sink marine biodiversity into uncharted waters of destruction. A buried fortune unearthed The seabed is 5,700 metres down, glistening with manganese nodules – millions of years in the making – packed with cobalt, nickel, copper, and...

Can you see the worms? Image credit: Chloé Fourreau Science is no stranger to discovering species, losing them, and then rediscovering them again, but what’s less common is to realize that the animal you thought you’d misplaced is actually being photographed all the time. Such is the tale of the marine worm, Haplosyllis anthogorgicola, that’s been photobombing seahorses at a rate of three in every four pictures viewed by scientists in a recent study. They’re pygmy seahorses, to be precise. Adorable, tiny, and oh-so photogenic, so it’s not surprising that citizen scientists have been snapping them across the central Indo-Pacific....

A new study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution lifts the veil on what happens when octopuses and fish hunt together. As it turns out, this cross-species relationship is more complex than anyone expected. Animals of the same species often cooperate—work together to reach some kind of goal. But it's relatively rare to find cooperation between individuals from different species. A classic example you'll be familiar with is the close relationship between dogs and humans, whether in the context of herding sheep or hunting. In these situations, the dog and the human work together to achieve a goal. That's mammals....

A mysterious sound heard booming from deep under the ocean waves has finally been traced to a fascinating source. First recorded in 2014 in the west Pacific, the "biotwang" is actually the call of the Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera brydei) traveling long distances in the open ocean. What's more, the techniques used to identify the sound have led to the development of a new tool for understanding whale populations and how they move about in and inhabit Earth's enigmatic seas. "Bryde's whales occur worldwide in tropical and warm temperate waters, but their population structure and movements are not well understood," writes...

A homeowner whose house is falling into the ocean on Oahu’s North Shore is being sued by the state of Hawaii. Earlier this week, amid a high ocean swell, the home on Ke Nui Road by Sunset Beach could be seen breaking apart and falling into the waves in a video widely shared on social media. In the footage, a resident can be heard warning others, “Be careful where you’re standing. The whole roof is gonna come down right now.” Glass, metal and wood can be seen strewn across the sand as the waves pull debris into the sea. “The...

Scientists previously discovered that water is stored inside mantle rock in a sponge-like state, which isn’t a liquid, solid or a gas, but instead a fourth state. The scientific paper titled ‘Dehydration melting at the top of the lower mantle’ was published in 2014 and laid out the findings. "The ringwoodite is like a sponge, soaking up water, there is something very special about the crystal structure of ringwoodite that allows it to attract hydrogen and trap water," said geophysicist Steve Jacobsen at the time. "This mineral can contain a lot of water under conditions of the deep mantle,” added...

A mottled yellow-green and brown saltwater crocodile lies mostly submerged in the muddy waters of an Australian river, only its ochre eyes visible above a triangular snout as it scans for prey. When just such a reptile killed Charlene O'Sullivan's daughter 15 years ago, her first thought was that every one of the predators should be killed or caught around her home city of Darwin, to spare others from similar heartbreak. "I initially probably supported removing every crocodile," said O'Sullivan, whose daughter Briony was 11 when she was taken while swimming with friends at a waterhole in 2009. "But you...

HONOLULU (KHON2) -- Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic that come from larger plastic items breaking down over time. These small particles can last for hundreds of years and can enter our bodies through the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has started a groundbreaking study to explore how these microplastics affect our lung health, thanks to a three-year grant of $352,126 from the National Science Foundation. Professor Yi Zuo is a professor of mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering and adjunct professor of pediatrics in the...

One of Beijing's enduring hobbies is accusing Washington of violating or abusing international law. This selective outrage is justifiably ignored, given China’s unwillingness to abide by international law and disregard for U.N. arbitration concerning demarcation in the South China Sea. “International law with Chinese characteristics” was easily mocked and ignored when American deterrence and international safeguards stymied Beijing’s ambitions. Unfortunately, that security architecture is unraveling. In 2009, China began to make expansive claims vis-à-vis the South China Sea when it unveiled its infamous nine-dash line, which claimed vast swathes of maritime territory. In 2016, the U.N.-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration...

Scientists have detected a 'great swarm' of earthquakes off the coast of Washington clocking as many as 200 in a single hour during one day. Geologists at the University of Washington said the quakes could lead to the Juan de Ruca Ridge erupting within a few weeks or years - but the effects are believed to be mild and not likely impact anyone on land. The underwater volcano sits more than 16,000 feet below the Pacific Ocean and about 150 miles off the coast of Washington. With more than a thousand tiny quakes detected in one day, this is the...

A South Carolina man believes he may have discovered the plane Amelia Earhart was flying when she vanished over the Pacific Ocean in 1937. Former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer Tony Romeo turned his fascination with the legendary pilot into an adventure when he embarked on an ambitious search for Earhart's lost plane. Romeo, who sold his commercial property investments to fund his search, managed to take a sonar image of an aircraft-shaped object on the ocean floor in December. Earhart and her Earhart's Lockheed 10-E Electra vanished at the height of her fame, a mystery that has spawned decades...

An airplane crashed into the frigid waters of the Pacific Ocean after 'flying erratically' near an airport south of San Francisco Sunday evening, authorities said. Sgt. Philip Hallworth of San Mateo County Sheriff´s Office said crews were searching for the plane that went down in Half Moon Bay around 7:15 p.m.. Officials have recovered some wreckage, reports ABC San Francisco, but there is still no word on possible survivors. It's not clear how many people were on board at the time of the crash. The crash occurred a few miles from the Half Moon Bay Airport on the Cabrillo Highway,...