Dr Craig R McClain
@drcraigmc.bsky.social
Marine Ecologist, Deep-Sea Explorer, Climate Change Researcher, Science Communicator, Ed @deepseanews
Pinned
Dr Craig R McClain
@drcraigmc.bsky.social
· Jun 24
Too poor to science: How wealth determines who succeeds in STEM
From student to researcher, a career in science can come with a high price tag. This Perspective explores how persistent financial barriers limit who can succeed in science, revealing how wealth shape...
journals.plos.org
I've wanted to write this article for years. About my and other's struggles to even survive sometime in #academia. Thank you to the amazing editors at @plosbiology.org that gave me the forum to write this piece. #science
Reposted by Dr Craig R McClain
I had a fantastic time chatting with Hakeem Oluseyi on PBS NOVA’s “Particles of Thought” podcast. Check
It out if you’re interested in hearing us talk about our backgrounds, science, and society.
Thanks @pbs.org !
www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/vi...
It out if you’re interested in hearing us talk about our backgrounds, science, and society.
Thanks @pbs.org !
www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/vi...
Interview: Extremophiles, the Deep Sea, and Alien Life with Peter Girguis
Dive into how Earth’s weirdest microbes could help us spot extraterrestrial life with marine biologist Peter Girguis.
www.pbs.org
November 10, 2025 at 3:46 AM
I had a fantastic time chatting with Hakeem Oluseyi on PBS NOVA’s “Particles of Thought” podcast. Check
It out if you’re interested in hearing us talk about our backgrounds, science, and society.
Thanks @pbs.org !
www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/vi...
It out if you’re interested in hearing us talk about our backgrounds, science, and society.
Thanks @pbs.org !
www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/vi...
Wow. I’m humbled, astonished, and to stand before you today as one of America’s Who’s Who. When I first got the email, I thought it was either a phishing scam or a long-lost relative trying to sell me essential oils. But no, turns out, it was my moment.
November 10, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Wow. I’m humbled, astonished, and to stand before you today as one of America’s Who’s Who. When I first got the email, I thought it was either a phishing scam or a long-lost relative trying to sell me essential oils. But no, turns out, it was my moment.
Psychropotes longicauda, the sea pig’s flamboyant cousin, trails a red sail over the seafloor. A tiny flag of existence waving in the dark.
November 6, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Psychropotes longicauda, the sea pig’s flamboyant cousin, trails a red sail over the seafloor. A tiny flag of existence waving in the dark.
In the midnight zone, the 7-armed octopus carries a jellyfish like a trophy and a tool—both shield and snack. #invertebrate #ocean www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzU8...
A sucker for jellyfish: The unexpected prey of the seven-arm octopus
YouTube video by MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute)
www.youtube.com
November 6, 2025 at 5:29 PM
In the midnight zone, the 7-armed octopus carries a jellyfish like a trophy and a tool—both shield and snack. #invertebrate #ocean www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzU8...
The irony of taking this administration's "Research Security Policies" training for federal science funding is not lost on me.
November 3, 2025 at 4:57 PM
The irony of taking this administration's "Research Security Policies" training for federal science funding is not lost on me.
Reposted by Dr Craig R McClain
Carnivorous ‘death ball’ sponge among new species found in depths of Southern Ocean
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Carnivorous ‘death ball’ sponge among new species found in depths of Southern Ocean
Researchers previously took first confirmed footage of a juvenile colossal squid in scarcely explored habitat
www.theguardian.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Carnivorous ‘death ball’ sponge among new species found in depths of Southern Ocean
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Glass Sponge and shrimp commensalism at 1500m
October 28, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Glass Sponge and shrimp commensalism at 1500m
I don’t think people really understand when I say Giant Isopods can gorge themselves on a meal. Look at how much the stomach of this small male is extended from snacking on raw chicken in my trap.
October 27, 2025 at 11:59 PM
I don’t think people really understand when I say Giant Isopods can gorge themselves on a meal. Look at how much the stomach of this small male is extended from snacking on raw chicken in my trap.
Brittle star swimming! Love this movement.
October 27, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Brittle star swimming! Love this movement.
Cheers from the Global Explorer ROV van!
October 27, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Cheers from the Global Explorer ROV van!
Day three of the Deepwater Horizon work was a success. Unfortunately the red crabs still look like this…
October 22, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Day three of the Deepwater Horizon work was a success. Unfortunately the red crabs still look like this…
Day two of our Deepwater Horizon cruise is a success!
October 21, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Day two of our Deepwater Horizon cruise is a success!
Reposted by Dr Craig R McClain
I absolutely love the fact they've Pokemon-ised the museum staff, for the upcoming Pokémon partnership with the Field Museum. Museums, take note.
October 9, 2025 at 4:51 PM
I absolutely love the fact they've Pokemon-ised the museum staff, for the upcoming Pokémon partnership with the Field Museum. Museums, take note.
Reposted by Dr Craig R McClain
Nudibranchs as pictured by a Japanese illustrator named Kumataro Ito, artist for the USS Albatross’ Philippine Expedition, 1907–10. More of his stunning images here: publicdomainreview.org/collection/k...
September 30, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Nudibranchs as pictured by a Japanese illustrator named Kumataro Ito, artist for the USS Albatross’ Philippine Expedition, 1907–10. More of his stunning images here: publicdomainreview.org/collection/k...
🌊🔬 Grad Student Opportunity!
I’m recruiting PhD students to explore marine biodiversity, body size, and bioenergetics with flexibility to design your own project! PDF of ad link below.
#PhDPosition #MarineBiology #Macroecology #Biodiversity #GradSchool #Ecology #OceanScience tinyurl.com/5n9434wk
I’m recruiting PhD students to explore marine biodiversity, body size, and bioenergetics with flexibility to design your own project! PDF of ad link below.
#PhDPosition #MarineBiology #Macroecology #Biodiversity #GradSchool #Ecology #OceanScience tinyurl.com/5n9434wk
Dropbox
tinyurl.com
September 23, 2025 at 5:54 PM
🌊🔬 Grad Student Opportunity!
I’m recruiting PhD students to explore marine biodiversity, body size, and bioenergetics with flexibility to design your own project! PDF of ad link below.
#PhDPosition #MarineBiology #Macroecology #Biodiversity #GradSchool #Ecology #OceanScience tinyurl.com/5n9434wk
I’m recruiting PhD students to explore marine biodiversity, body size, and bioenergetics with flexibility to design your own project! PDF of ad link below.
#PhDPosition #MarineBiology #Macroecology #Biodiversity #GradSchool #Ecology #OceanScience tinyurl.com/5n9434wk
Reposted by Dr Craig R McClain
So sorry to hear this. I wish I couldn’t sympathize… my mom died shortly before a journal article revision was due and I was not granted an extension… still rather salty about that. Scientists are people, not emotionless robots.
September 17, 2025 at 8:29 PM
So sorry to hear this. I wish I couldn’t sympathize… my mom died shortly before a journal article revision was due and I was not granted an extension… still rather salty about that. Scientists are people, not emotionless robots.
This is now the second time I’ve not been allowed a professional allowance because I needed to focus on my family during the death close family member. #academia
September 17, 2025 at 8:14 PM
This is now the second time I’ve not been allowed a professional allowance because I needed to focus on my family during the death close family member. #academia
This bumpy snailfish video is everything I needed on this Monday.
Snailfishes live in a variety of ocean habitats—from shallow tide pools to deep-sea trenches. The newly described bumpy snailfish (Careproctus colliculi), observed in the depths of Monterey Canyon nearly 3,300 meters (10,800 feet) underwater, has a distinctive pink color and a bumpy texture.
September 8, 2025 at 5:01 PM
This bumpy snailfish video is everything I needed on this Monday.
I recently lost a close loved one making the last several weeks turmoil. My professional life went the wayside. I emailed a very large society in my field about accommodations me past the abstract deadline for the upcoming meeting. "Unfortunately, there are no extensions for abstract submission."
September 4, 2025 at 2:13 PM
I recently lost a close loved one making the last several weeks turmoil. My professional life went the wayside. I emailed a very large society in my field about accommodations me past the abstract deadline for the upcoming meeting. "Unfortunately, there are no extensions for abstract submission."
TLDR is that it a GIANT deep-sea limpet at a whopping 4.5 cm. Which is actually is a giant amongst the miniaturization of most deep-sea mollusks.
Deep-sea submersible discovers 'giant' animal 5,922m down in Pacific abyss | Discover Wildlife
The creature was found during a deep-sea expedition 500km south-east of Japan.
www.discoverwildlife.com
August 20, 2025 at 2:12 PM
TLDR is that it a GIANT deep-sea limpet at a whopping 4.5 cm. Which is actually is a giant amongst the miniaturization of most deep-sea mollusks.
Nice coverage of a recently published paper "Flourishing chemosynthetic life at the greatest depths of hadal trenches" www.nature.com/articles/s41...
'Communities' of strange, extreme life seen for first time in deep ocean
A Chinese-led research team captures pictures of life at depths of more than 9km in the northwest Pacific Ocean.
bbc.com
August 20, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Nice coverage of a recently published paper "Flourishing chemosynthetic life at the greatest depths of hadal trenches" www.nature.com/articles/s41...
This has to be the worst usage of AI image generation. "Illustration of an underwater volcano off Vancouver Island revealing a nursery of giant skate ray eggs." www.sustainability-times.com/research/und...
August 20, 2025 at 2:09 PM
This has to be the worst usage of AI image generation. "Illustration of an underwater volcano off Vancouver Island revealing a nursery of giant skate ray eggs." www.sustainability-times.com/research/und...