Author: Andrew Thaler

Marine science and conservation. Deep-sea ecology. Population genetics. Underwater robots. Open-source instrumentation. The deep sea is Earth's last great wilderness.

It is your ocean. You should have access to the tools to study it.

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Climate change, Conservation, Education, Exploration, Featured, Science

The structure of scientific inquiry has coalesced around a model that is, in general, both expensive and exclusive. This centralizes knowledge production within a circle of individuals, organizations, and institutions which rarely reflects the breadth of identities, experiences, and ways of knowing of those most directly connected to the places being explored. Nowhere is this … Read More “It is your ocean. You should have access to the tools to study it.” »

Want to join the Cephalosquad? Fight the Kraken!? Listen to a D&D Podcast!?!? Start here!

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Popular Culture, Science

It finally happened. Three years after Chris Parsons and friends announced their podcast on this very blog, I have joined the Cephalosquad (I actually joined almost a year ago, but we have A Backlog). Meet Patches Tenderfoot, a rabbitfolk necromancer who believes that if he delves deep enough into the arcane arts, he can de-extinct … Read More “Want to join the Cephalosquad? Fight the Kraken!? Listen to a D&D Podcast!?!? Start here!” »

The world’s largest cold water coral reef lies beside the first experimental deep-sea mining test site

Posted on By Andrew Thaler 1 Comment on The world’s largest cold water coral reef lies beside the first experimental deep-sea mining test site
Exploration, Featured, Science

In a region once thought to be so ecologically uninteresting that it was viewed as a useful testbed for deep-sea mining equipment, NOAA researchers have detected what could be the world’s largest cold water coral reef. “For years we thought much of the Blake Plateau was sparsely inhabited, soft sediment, but after more than 10 … Read More “The world’s largest cold water coral reef lies beside the first experimental deep-sea mining test site” »

Taking Initiative: My 2023 year in environmental education, outreach, and activism

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Education

2023 was a year of endings. I closed several projects and spent a lot of time, behind the scenes, laying the foundation for project I hope will have an impact in 2024. I don’t really think of myself as a science communications person anymore. We are activists, working to achieve specific science-informed policy outcomes. We … Read More “Taking Initiative: My 2023 year in environmental education, outreach, and activism” »

Deep Ocean Exploration needs to move beyond Imported Magic

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Exploration, Featured, Science

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that deep ocean exploration is an expensive endeavor. Vessels, instrumentation, deep-submergence vehicles, and analytical tools are costly to run and the specialized training needed to maintain that equipment is often a career in itself. Deep-sea research cruises are among the most logistically complex peacetime operations in human history. When access to … Read More “Deep Ocean Exploration needs to move beyond Imported Magic” »

Norway moves one step closer to deep-sea mining

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
News

This morning, the Norwegian parliament approved a bill that moves the country one step closer to commercial deep-sea mining in Norway’s waters. This bill opens up nearly 300,000 square kilometers for mining companies to to explore for lithium, scandium, cobalt, and other critical minerals. Importantly, this does not mean that Norway is about to strip … Read More “Norway moves one step closer to deep-sea mining” »

Cherry, Maple, and Walnut: My 2023 woodworking year in review.

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Uncategorized

2023 was a pretty good year for woodworking. After the whirlwind furniture building of the last few years, I had a chance to sit down and work on some smaller projects to practice my skills and progress as a craftsman. January Though not exactly find woodworking, I spent January rebuilding the solar shed and adding … Read More “Cherry, Maple, and Walnut: My 2023 woodworking year in review.” »

A good joint is built to last: archaeologists uncover evidence for the earliest structural use of wood. 

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Built to Last, Featured

Just how long should a woodworking joint last? Towards the middle of 2021, I started writing what could be generously described as a manifesto for environmentally conscientious woodworking. In Furniture as Revolution, I argue that: “In a present defined by levying a tax on future generations through manufactured frailty, making something designed to persist beyond … Read More “A good joint is built to last: archaeologists uncover evidence for the earliest structural use of wood. “ »

Conservation, Technology, and the Future of the Seafloor: My 2023 science year in review.

Posted on By Andrew Thaler
Academic life, Science

2023 felt like a year where I was just treading water. I barreled through it so fast that I barely registered everything that we accomplishes (and just how much is left to finish). This was a kludge year for me, with lots of small projects instead of one, big, overarching project. Onwards! Deep-sea Mining remains … Read More “Conservation, Technology, and the Future of the Seafloor: My 2023 science year in review.” »