sponge Archives

The glass sponge, Advhena magnifica, prior to being collected in 2016 at a depth of ~2,000 meters (6,560 feet). Scientists call this class of sponges “glass” because their skeletons are made of silica (glass). Their bodies contain fascinating tissues that consist of many nuclei within a single membrane, and these tissues help conduct electrical signals across the sponge making them able to respond quickly to external stimuli. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2016 Deepwater Exploration of the Marianas.

Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Fossils & Paleontology, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Science Fiction, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Ocean Planet Exploration And Taxonomy: Naming A Strange New Species

by Keith CowingJuly 14, 2025July 14, 2025

Editor’s note: one day we will begin a detailed exploration of ocean worlds other than our own. Hopefully they will be habitable – and inhabited. Given that we still find […]

This transparent-bodied sea cucumber belongs to the Elpidiidae family and is called 'unicumber'. You can clearly see its intestines and that it has been eating sediment. We can only guess what the long tail is used for, but probably to be able to swim. Photo: SMARTEX/NHM/NOC

Away Teams & Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving

Away Team Report: Unknown Species Discovered On A Deep-sea Expedition To The Clarion Clipperton Zone

by Keith CowingJune 9, 2024June 9, 2024

Transparent sea cucumbers, bowl-shaped sponges, and pink sea pigs are some of the fascinating animals discovered during a deep-sea expedition to the Pacific Ocean.