Ocean

Oceans cover 70 percent of the Earth. This is the latest on protecting their vast ecosystems.

Latest in Ocean

a whale sticks its head out of the water

Southern right whales have bumpy ‘fingerprints’ on their heads

By Margherita Bassi

Southern elephant seal pups explore shallow rock pools

20 magnificent finalists from the 2026 Ocean Photographer of the Year awards

By Popular Science Team

a sea turtle wearing a satellite tag on its shell walks back into the ocean

Rescued sea turtle named Pancake swims to hot hangout for young turtles

By Laura Baisas

Megalodon tooth with layers of polymetallic deposits atop a NOAA Ocean Exploration towel

Massive, metal-encrusted megalodon teeth litter deep ocean floor

This carnivorous sponge was one of several seen during Dive 09 of the 2026 Cook Islands ROV Exploration cruise. Unlike fitler feeding sponges, carnivorous sponges prey on animals such as small crustaceans that they capture from the water column.

How to watch a live deep-sea exploration in the Pacific

a grey sponge on the floor of a harbor

Blobby chicken kidney sponges clean dirty water surprisingly well

By Laura Baisas

a hammerhead shark underwater, at the side of a boat

Mysterious shark spotted near the Galápagos Islands for the first time in over 20 years

By Laura Baisas

In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on June 18, 2026, vessels are seen anchored in Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices tumbled after Trump and his Iranian counterpart separately signed their accord to end the Middle East war, with the Strait of Hormuz to reopen but two months of negotiations lying ahead. (Photo by AMIRHOSSEIN KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP) /

Strait of Hormuz ship bottleneck could fuel invasive species nightmare

a turtle wearing a telemetry device on its shell walks into the ocean

Bon voyage, Papyrus! 5 rescued sea turtles named after fonts released in Cape Cod

By Laura Baisas

a sea turtle crawls towards the ocean while a crowd watches

Pancake the rescued sea turtle released on Coney Island beach

By Laura Baisas

a sperm whale swimming in clear blue waters with its mouth open

Sperm whales change how they communicate when ships are nearby

By Laura Baisas

Deep sea mesophotic coral seen off coast of Benin

‘Dead’ coral reef found alive and thriving off West Africa

a large spotted fish called a whale shark swims with its mouth open

Massive whale shark just spotted in Florida

By Laura Baisas

a mother seal gives a baby seal a swimming lesson underneath ice

Baby seal gets a swimming lesson

By Margherita Bassi

purple bones from a sea otter in a tide pool

Sea otter bones can turn purple

By Laura Baisas

an underwater robot scans a red fish

31 alien-like marine species discovered off the coast of Brazil

By Sara Hashemi

Collage showing a red submersible partly underwater.

Before the moon race, explorers wanted to conquer the ocean

By Bill Gourgey

Exterior photograph of DEEP's Vanguard underwater installation surrounded by fish in the Florida Keys

Underwater research lab installed in the Florida Keys

a humpback whale breaches in the arabian sea with desert hills in the distance

For the first time, biologists observe a humpback whale crossing the Arabian Sea

By Laura Baisas

a whale swims at the surface of the water

Young humpback whale freed from fishing line near Cape Cod

By Laura Baisas