Deep-Sea Biology Society
LightNews LightNews
banner
dsbsoc.bsky.social
Deep-Sea Biology Society
@dsbsoc.bsky.social
4.8K followers 390 following 270 posts
Official account of the Deep-Sea Biology Society | #DSBSoc
A society for student, academic & professional #DeepSea biologists. 🌊

🔗 dsbsoc.org
💡 @dsbsoc-arts.bsky.social‬ #DSBSocArts
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
dsbsoc.bsky.social
Deep-Sea Biology Society @dsbsoc.bsky.social · 15d
Hey, members! We’re opening submissions for our media (alongside our NextGen of #DeepSea Researchers series - self-submissions encouraged).

Also welcome: research profiles, accessibility/fieldwork challenges, and non-traditional career paths. Contributions especially welcome outside the EU/US.
Reposted by Deep-Sea Biology Society
deepstewardship.bsky.social
🌊 Coming up in December for the #DeepSea Community!

2 Dec – COBRA Webinar: eDNA reference libraries, taxonomy & new species discoveries. buff.ly/Rnxm6Zh

15–19 Dec – AGU25: #DeepOcean sessions on tech, exploration & decision-making. buff.ly/xhn5SM5
👏 Congrats to awardees Lisa Levin & Julie Huber!
December 1, 2025 at 7:50 PM
dsbsoc.bsky.social
Happy new week, members!

Meet another 2025 conference awardee: Severin Korfhage (@severinkorfhage.bsky.social), PhD candidate @ U. of Oldenburg & #HIFMB working on the systematics & taxonomy of #DeepSea & cold-water #octocorals spanning from the #NorthAtlantic to the #Pacific.

More in alt-text!
“I am Severin, a PhD candidate at the University of Oldenburg and the HIFMB, in cooperation with Senckenberg am Meer in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. My scientific work focuses on the integrative systematics and taxonomy of deep sea and cold water octocorals, particularly the North Atlantic and Pacific genera Duva, Drifa, Pseudodrifa, and Gersemia." Photo1: Photo of Severin during the CoralNewZ expedition in NZ waters. "I combine classical morphology with modern sequencing approaches to reassess the diversity, evolutionary history, and species boundaries of these groups. A central focus of my research lies in the analysis of historical type material from international museums, the redescription of old types, and the resolution of long-standing taxonomic uncertainties. Many of these historical specimens are remarkably old (some exceeding 200 years in age)." Photo2: Type material of Duva florida (Rathke, 1806). "Methodologically, I work extensively with SEM-based sclerite documentation and detangling morphological characters for phylogenetic analyses. In parallel, I apply protocols for recovering molecular data from highly degraded specimens and employ shallow genome sequencing. This approach becomes particularly challenging when working with centuries-old material." Photo3: Type material of Drifa islandica Danielssen, 1887, labeled by Wilhelm Georg Kükenthal (1861–1922). "My work also includes participation in research expeditions such as the CoralNewZ expedition in the Southwest Pacific, as well as projects in the North Atlantic and the Western Indian Ocean. The overarching goal of my research is to develop a modern, robust integrative system for cold-water octocorals, uncover new species, and establish a taxonomic and phylogenetic framework that supports future biodiversity and conservation research.” Photo4: Selection of corals collected during the CoralNewZ and the CoWIO expedition.
December 2, 2025 at 12:04 AM
Reposted by Deep-Sea Biology Society
melaniebergma18.bsky.social
🪸Good morning from @awi.de HAUSGARTEN observatory in the #Arctic #DeepSea. This photo taken by our Ocean Floor Observation Bathymetry System (~2500 m) shows sponges (Caulophacus arcticus, Cladorhiza gelida) with a comatulid, anemones, soft corals (Gersemia fruticosa) & shrimp (Bythocaris) on them!
December 1, 2025 at 10:55 AM
dsbsoc.bsky.social
Hey all, meet one of #DSBSoc 2025 conference awardees!

Meet Ailish Ullman (@ailishullmann.bsky.social) , PhD candidate at @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social & Earth Sci. NZ with @ifremer.bsky.social, researching habitat heterogeneity of life living on & in (yes, in!) #PolymetallicNodules.

More in alt-text!
"I’m Ailish, a PhD candidate at Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) and Earth Sciences New Zealand (formerly NIWA), working in partnership with Ifremer in France. I'm researching how habitat heterogeneity and the disturbance of habitat heterogeneity influence the diversity, abundance, and community composition of animals living on and in (yes, in!) polymetallic nodules. Polymetallic nodules are small deep-sea rocks that are full of minerals and metals that can be used in technologies ranging from electric vehicles to smartphones." 📸 Photo1: Ailish smiling looking off the side of a ship down at some dolphins. 📸 The photos include me with a nodule box core in the #CCZ, a view from the box core at the seafloor (~4000 m deep), a view from the ship, and some of the animals found inside of nodules (nematodes, tardigrades, and nauplii). "Because of increasing demand for these minerals and metals, polymetallic nodules are being targeted for deep-sea mining both on the high seas and in countries’ exclusive economic zones (EEZs). Polymetallic nodule environments remain understudied, so researching the communities they support––and how resilient those communities may be to disturbance––will be critical in managing and conserving these environments." 📸 Photo1: Ailish grinning behind an opened nodule box core collected from the CCZ. Photo2: view from the ship of the sun gleaming through clouds over the horizon. "So far, my thesis has focused on the smallest metazoan animals associated with polymetallic nodules (meiofauna, which includes animals like nematodes, copepods, and tardigrades). I'm studying how these meiofauna communities vary across habitat types, space, time, and environmental conditions, and how disturbance from impacts like mining and climate change may influence their resilience." 📸 Photo1: Ailish grinning outside along other researchers outside the ship the L'Atlante. Photo2: view of multiple polymetallic nodules on the seafloor. Photo3: Microscope view of meiofauna (larva, tardigrades and nematodes) collected from nodules.
December 1, 2025 at 8:21 AM
Reposted by Deep-Sea Biology Society
kmkocot.bsky.social
Two open PhD positions in molluscan biomineralization with the amazing Dr. Victoria Sleight at U. Aberdeen! See:
sleightlab.com/vacancies/ and sleightlab.com/phd-vacancy-2/. The first deadline is 15 December.
November 26, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Reposted by Deep-Sea Biology Society
melaniebergma18.bsky.social
Good day from the Haakon Mosby Mud Vocano (~1200 m depth), here with a nice Arctic skate (Amblyraja hyperborea (Collett, 1879)) recorded by our Ocean Floor Observation System in the Norwegian Sea in 2002 😊!
#FloodTheZoneWithBeauty
November 26, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Reposted by Deep-Sea Biology Society
deepseadawn.bsky.social
On the 3-D mgmt needs of deepsea hydrothermal vent ecosystems, where science supports protection of subseafloor, seafloor, AND water column, intl law supports global protection of all active vents, BUT current protection from #deepseamining insufficient.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
🌊 🦑 ⚒️
Three-dimensional management needs of deep-sea hydrothermal vent ecosystems
Deep-sea hydrothermal vents form small, unique, and fragile ecosystems that are widely recognized as sites in need of protection. Deep-seabed mining (…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 23, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Reposted by Deep-Sea Biology Society
drandrewthaler.bsky.social
Working up a new policy paper with some great co-authors and had to dive into some of my past work.

A look, I am totally shameless. This paper I wrote with @divaamon.bsky.social is an absolute banger.

peerj.com/articles/7397/
262 Voyages Beneath the Sea: a global assessment of macro- and megafaunal biodiversity and research effort at deep-sea hydrothermal vents
For over 40 years, hydrothermal vents and the communities that thrive on them have been a source of profound discovery for deep-sea ecologists. These ecosystems are found throughout the world on activ...
peerj.com
November 23, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Reposted by Deep-Sea Biology Society
tuexplorer1.bsky.social
Atolla. @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 867 #asgardarchaea #MarineLife
November 21, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Reposted by Deep-Sea Biology Society
edwardmarcotte.bsky.social
Here's the R/V Falkor (too) and the bay inside with the amazing robot sub (SuBastian), suspended from a giant A frame for deploying it through an even larger door. The two workbenches in front give you a sense of scale. You can also just make out @archaeal.bsky.social in front of the Falkor
November 21, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Reposted by Deep-Sea Biology Society
schlining.bsky.social
MBARI and FathomNet collaborated with Meta on their new Segment Anything Model (SAM 3). Meta produced 294K segmentation masks for FathomNet data. More details at www.fathomnet.org/news/open-da...

#machinelearning #FathomNet #MBARI
Open Data Opens New Opportunities | FathomNet
www.fathomnet.org
November 21, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Reposted by Deep-Sea Biology Society
archaeal.bsky.social
Today's dive site, to ~2,200m. We will be streaming 9am-3pm Central. At www.youtube.com/@SchmidtOcean

#AsgardArchaea
@schmidtocean.bsky.social
@moorefound.bsky.social
@texasscience.bsky.social
@utmsi.bsky.social
November 21, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Reposted by Deep-Sea Biology Society
hollybik.bsky.social
ICYMI - our COBRA webinar recording is now posted on YouTube! Olivia Pereira (postdoc at @mbarinews.bsky.social) and I teamed up to talk about #SciComm - “From Abyss to Audience: Science Communication in Deep-sea Research” www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnlx...
COBRA Webinar Series – From Abyss to Audience: Science Communication in Deep-sea Research
YouTube video by COBRA
www.youtube.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Reposted by Deep-Sea Biology Society
archaeal.bsky.social
We are streaming from 900m
November 20, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Reposted by Deep-Sea Biology Society
scrippsocean.bsky.social
TOMORROW: Don’t miss Schmidt Ocean Institute's next Back Ashore webinar featuring Scripps Oceanography scientists. They'll share their findings on the toxic legacy of DDT barrels dumped off Southern California’s coast decades ago.

Register here: bit.ly/3KdYA57
November 20, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Reposted by Deep-Sea Biology Society
dominguezcarrio.bsky.social
Our most recent publication in @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social illustrates how cost-effective deep-sea imaging tools, such as the Azor drift-cam, can effectively build local capacity, promote equity in deep-sea science and generate essential data for the conservation of marine benthic habitats.
November 13, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Reposted by Deep-Sea Biology Society
bioboostplus.bsky.social
Testing a YOLO-based computer vision model to ID 13 benthic species from underwater images. It boosts automated species recognition, aiding large-scale biodiversity monitoring & better marine conservation. @azti.bsky.social

#AI4Oceans #BenthicEcology #MarineScience #BioBoost+
November 13, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Reposted by Deep-Sea Biology Society
joeymaier.bsky.social
"...the analysis of nearly 3,000 species showed more diversity of body types among the pelagic fishes, those that swim in open water, than among the benthic species spending their life on the ocean floor. "

How fishes of the deep sea have evolved into different shapes share.google/hwvVtuZmVcSQ...
November 16, 2025 at 2:53 AM
Reposted by Deep-Sea Biology Society
cezzalew.bsky.social
PhD Opportunity: Come and join our fabulous plastics research team at the University of Exeter and colleagues at @pml.ac.uk to work on the impacts of conventional and alternative plastics on the health and functioning of benthic ecosystems.

Full details and application link here: lnkd.in/ePeFMXzJ
November 18, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Reposted by Deep-Sea Biology Society
jjmarlow.bsky.social
Despite their prominence in the deep sea, ammonia oxidizing microbes don't play a huge role in carbon cycling. They're around, just not very active, starved for nitrogen... 🧪🌊

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Minor contribution of ammonia oxidizers to inorganic carbon fixation in the ocean - Nature Geoscience
Ammonia oxidizers contribute minimally to carbon fixation in the dark ocean despite their abundance at depth, according to enzyme inhibition experiments on water samples from two cruises.
www.nature.com
November 20, 2025 at 9:54 AM
Reposted by Deep-Sea Biology Society
unseenocean.bsky.social
This new fav sponge is either Chondrocladia grandis or Chondrocladia concrescens, as both species occur in Alaskan waters! #deepsea #deepseacreaturea 🐡🦑 #deepseaart
studio-mbj.bsky.social Meghan Jones @studio-mbj.bsky.social · 13d
Friends- this carnivorous sponge is basically the COOLEST thing ever! Semi-transparent bulbous knobs, and totally covered in brittle stars *swoon* def new boyfriend material. Oh and I started another painting 😁 #deepsea #deepseacreatures 🐡🦑 #deepseaart #unseenocean #art #acryliconcanvas
A green and orange carnivorous sponge covered in brittle stars, 24x24” acrylic on canvas painting. #deepsea #deepseacreatures 🐡🦑 #deepseaart #unseenocean #art #acryliconcanvas
November 18, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Reposted by Deep-Sea Biology Society
wcmb2026.bsky.social
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!!

Start your countdown; #WCMB2026 is happening exactly one year from now!

Register here: wcmb2026.org/registration

@unoceandecade.bsky.social @vliz.be #marinebiodiversity
Register here
wcmb2026.org
November 17, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Reposted by Deep-Sea Biology Society
melaniebergma18.bsky.social
🪸 New study reports VERY high densities of marine debris on
the deep seafloor of the Jordanian Gulf of Aqaba, northern Red Sea: 4,975 - 79,840 items per km2 (mean = 27,267 items/km2)!
48% were #plastics and highest densities were observed near a public beach 🏖️.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
November 17, 2025 at 7:59 AM
dsbsoc.bsky.social
Hey, members! We’re opening submissions for our media (alongside our NextGen of #DeepSea Researchers series - self-submissions encouraged).

Also welcome: research profiles, accessibility/fieldwork challenges, and non-traditional career paths. Contributions especially welcome outside the EU/US.
November 17, 2025 at 8:07 AM
Reposted by Deep-Sea Biology Society
davidho.bsky.social
Come be my colleague at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. We're hiring an assistant professor in Ocean Biogeochemical Modeling. 🌊
Career Opportunities at the University of Hawai'i | University of Hawai'i
www.schooljobs.com
November 15, 2025 at 12:05 PM