Over 15 years of ocean science and conservation online
I am a huge fan of the Alien franchise…mostly. Alien and Aliens were ground-breaking movies and instant classics. Alien 3 had good parts (mostly the great British actors shining up a quickly knocked out script). Alien Resurrection was … not great. Alien: Romulus was pretty good, despite a dodgy CGI android and a practical effect … Read More “Aliens, Ridley Scott, and bad science” »
Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet (retired) made an exciting announcement recently on the American Alchemy podcast. Gallaudet has significant credentials: he served as the Navy’s oceanographer and later headed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). He said that he is working with a team of “very esteemed archaeologists and geologists” and they believe that they … Read More “Have we found the city of Atlantis?” »
Did you see the Snallygaster? It was there, clear as day, rooting through the trash at Foxy’s Harbor Grille, its tentacles probing for scraps of fish and week-old oysters. More than a few people heard its horrifying caw as it took the the sky. Thus begins the Curse of the Snallygaster. The Snallygaster is an … Read More “Jabberwocks and Snallygasters: teaching environmental education with monsters, mayhem, and dice.” »
The first six months of 2026 have been busy. Between writing for my OpEd fellowship, working on congressional testimony, drafting my upcoming book on the use and misuse of the deep sea, and, well, working an actual job because I still have to keep my family fed and my daughter has developed a taste for … Read More “Deep-sea Mining, Domestic Cats, Star Trek, and Ocean Exploration: Andrew’s mid-year podcast round-up.” »
Star Trek is a global phenomenon. There is an entire streaming service that is essentially supported by the franchise. There are massive conventions full of fans wearing Stra Trek uniforms. It has gone from a short-run TV show to a part of our culture. But not only has Star Trek been a huge hit for … Read More “Can we have a Star Trek for the oceans? Pretty please?!” »
My social media this week was full of space. When Artemis I splashed down, the world watched in awe. When the James Webb Space Telescope unrolled its golden mirrors, it felt like a win for humanity. NASA has mastered the art of making space science matter to the public. Meanwhile, ocean science (the study of … Read More “Ocean scientists need to learn a lesson from NASA” »
MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: The Biggest Manu Splash Off in French History — and also the First Manu Splash off in French History (do not fact check this) — will crash into the waves off Nice, France at 8:00 AM on Thursday, 12 June 2025 at a location to be determined near CoCo Beach. Do you have … Read More “UN Ocean Conference Manu Championship” »
Serial is out with a new podcast, and this time, it’s about whales. Return to the early 1990s, when scientists and conservationists fought to save Keiko, the Killer Whale made famous by the movie Free Willy, from his captivity in a small aquatic park. The first two episodes are up on Spotify.
We have a problem. Collectively, we need to dramatically reduce our carbon emissions over the next few years to stave off the worst climate change outcomes. While this demands sweeping changes to energy policy at national and international levels, for individuals and organizations, electrification of the world’s automotive fleets offers the most direct change. Electric … Read More “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good: Plug-in Electric Hybrids are better than you think” »
The former President’s recent bizarre rant about sharks has gone viral on social media, but this is just the latest in a long and weird saga. These tweets are real. Did you know their backstory? July 2007: Donald Trump meets with adult film star Stormy Daniels, inviting her to his hotel room. Upon arrival, he … Read More “Donald Trump and Sharks: An Annotated Timeline” »
