Sargassum Composite 3D Printed Structures by Thrasos

Cozumel is one of the top tourist destinations in Mexico, with up to 4 million cruise ship passengers visiting the island each year. However, this has had an effect on the ecosystems that attract visitors in the first place. Due to overtourism and climate change, there has been an increase in environmental stress as well as rising temperatures, leading to severe bleaching of coral reefs in the area. Aware of the importance the reefs have on the environment, the Cozumel Coral Reef Restoration Program (CCRRP) has set out to reverse the damage and protect the surviving corals.

The CCRRP was created by Dr. German Mendez after noticing the decline of corals around Cozumel. In 1994, the Mexican government decided to build a cruise ship dock in the Cozumel Marine Park, a protected area, resulting in the death of nearly 97% of the surrounding coral in the nearby Villa Blanca Reef. Determined to do something about it, Mendez pursued a degree in marine biology and launched CCRRP, which became a non-profit organization in 2017.

To fight back, the CCRRP has created coral nurseries, which a team of devoted volunteers take care of. “Coral nurseries are underwater structures, created from a wide variety of materials and substrates, designed to cultivate coral fragments, promoting their growth by removing fast-growing algae that overpowers the slow-growing corals,” the team tells My Modern Met. “Once the community of one species is strong enough, we plant them back onto damaged reefs and new artificial reefs.”

The coral fragments are planted on underwater structures known as platforms, which have been made of different materials throughout the years. “Some of our first platforms were made with concrete, but coral didn’t attach to it as well,” shares CCRRP. “Another example is recycled rebar grids covered in calcium carbonate, which coral polyps are naturally attracted to. Some new approaches include the use of sargassum for making substrates and new technologies.”

These new technologies include 3D printing. In collaboration with Alena Kharissova from start-up Thrasos and tile company Interceramic, the team has mixed a new substrate with sargassum and coralline. The results have been delightful 3D-printed geometric structures that invite coral polyps to attach and grow into larger communities.

“Platforms offer a protected environment, shielding corals from stressors like sedimentation, fast-growing algae, and predation, allowing for faster growth rates and higher survival compared to free-living corals,” says the CCRRP about their unique approach. “This technique is a crucial component of coral reef restoration efforts.”

In seven years, CCRRP has planted more than 10,000 corals using 35 platforms in an area of 2,153 square feet, in addition to the corals that have been attached to the live rock of the area. “We measure our success in restoration by counting the aggregation of species of fish in the restored areas and by making videos of transects to monitor the coral fragments and size them as well as to check coloration for bleaching,” they share.

If you'd like to help them with their mission to restore corals, there are many things you can do. For a hands-on approach, you can become a certified diver and help the team tend to their nurseries. “It is thanks to the constant rotation of volunteers and interns from all over the world that we can continue to fight the fast-growing algae and give a fighting chance to our corals,” says CCRRP.

If you can't make it to Cozumel, you can make a one-time donation, or become a monthly donor. Should this be out of your possibilities, the team says that helping them spread their message on social media also goes a long way. “We are educating people about coral ecology and the importance of them for the underwater ecosystem, and the human economy,” says CCRRP. “We hope to change the fast-growing development on the island into sustainable growth, which will allow us to live on an island that respects its ecosystem.”

To stay up to date with this mission, follow Cozumel Coral Reef Restoration Program on Instagram. To learn more and make a donation, visit their website.

The Cozumel Coral Reef Restoration Program (CCRRP) has set out to reverse coral bleaching and protect the surviving corals in the Mexican Caribbean.

Cleaning artificial reefs of algae

The team has planted coral fragments are planted on underwater structures known as platforms. Once grown, they are planted back on damaged reefs and new artificial reefs.

Replanted corals growing on the reef rocks

“Platforms offer a protected environment, shielding corals from stressors like sedimentation, fast-growing algae, and predation, allowing for faster growth rates and higher survival compared to free-living corals.”

Planting corals

The team has also incorporated 3D printing into their labor, using geometric structures made by Thrasos that invite coral polyps to attach and grow into larger communities.

Coral shades prevent coral bleaching from thermal stress

In seven years, CCRRP has planted more than 10,000 corals using 35 platforms in an area of 2,153 square feet, in addition to the corals that have been attached to the live rock of the area.

Planting corals

If you want to help, you can join their ranks as a diver to help them tend to their nurseries, make a donation, or simply help them spread their message.

Reefs provides shelter to baby fish to grow – 25% of marine life begins on reefs

Cozumel Coral Reef Restoration Program: Website | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Cozumel Coral Reef Restoration Program.

Related Articles:

84% of Coral Reefs Around the World Affected By Worst Bleaching Event on Record

3D-Printed Stars Functioning as Hybrid Coral Reefs To Be Installed in New Underwater Park in Miami

Kaleidoscopic Underwater Photos Capture the Hypnotic Beauty of Coral Reefs

Artist Turns Old Cardboard Boxes Into 8-Foot-Tall Coral Reef Filled With Over 50 Marine Species

READ: 3D-Printed Coral Reefs Are Restoring Mexican Caribbean Ecosystems

Photo: Government of the Republic of India via Wikimedia Commons ( CC BY-SA 4.0 )

How old does a person have to be to enact radical positive change in the world? A preteen known to some as the “Indian Greta Thunberg” has answered that question for nearly half her life. At the age of 12, Prasiddhi Singh has already planted over 150,000 trees in India, and has no plans of stopping at this already impressive number.

Singh is considered India’s youngest environmental leader. After being personally affected by a cyclone at just 7 years old, she began following her passion for environmentalism by replanting “fruit forests,” in the hopes that they would eventually be able to provide protection from future storms. This idea has yielded far more than just trees—it’s also given hope to many populations in India and beyond.

“Fruit forests” are Singh’s environmental specialty, and they follow a relatively simple but ingenious business model. By planting a variety of trees that yield fruit, these forests create biodiverse landscapes. These landscapes, in turn, are viable not just for reforestation, but also to provide protection and relief for food-insecure populations.

The concept has become popular around the country, and Singh has drawn in numerous volunteers to help plant her fruit forests. A majority of them hail from Tamil Nadu, Singh’s home state.

By the age of 8, Singh reported to the Times of India that she’d planted over 10 fruit forests with the help of volunteers. It was also at this age that she received her first award (and India’s highest civilian honor for children) in 2021 for her reforestation efforts, the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraska.

Now aged 12, Singh’s experiences and accolades have grown alongside her. She’s planted numerous fruit forests, begun the arduous task of restoring lakes and mangroves throughout India, and spoken at a variety of events, including TEDx programs and UN Climate Change summits. Singh also founded the Prasiddhi Forest Foundation, and most recently, was named the June 2025 Young Planet Leader.

The Prasiddhi Forest Foundation was founded in 2018, and seeks to teach and inspire environmental reforestation and conservation efforts through workshops, events, and classes. The foundation centers itself around a “3G Network,” a clever play on a technological term that actually places emphasis on “generating” your own oxygen, “growing” your own food, and “gifting” these efforts to the community.

Prasiddhi Singh’s remarkable journey is just beginning, and shows that age is no barrier to making a difference. Through passion, purpose, and persistence, even the youngest of individuals can inspire the world, and plant the seeds for a more sustainable and supportive future.

To learn more about Singh's work and foundation, visit the Prasiddhi Forest Foundation website.

At only 12 years old, environmentalist Prasiddhi Singh has already planted over 150,000 trees in her native India.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Prasiddhi Singh (@prasiddhi.official)

Singh's efforts began when she was just 7 years old, after suffering from a devastating cyclone.

Photo: alessandroguerr/Depositphotos

The environmentalist's “fruit forest” approach to reforestation in India offers a sustainable and supportive solution that protects at-risk populations in more ways than one.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Prasiddhi Forest Foundation (@prasiddhiforest)

In 2018, Singh launched a foundation aimed at spreading sustainability awareness and practices. And this month, she was named the June 2025 Young Planet Leader.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Prasiddhi Forest Foundation (@prasiddhiforest)

Watch her Young Planet Leader video below:

Sources: 12-Year-old Girl Plants 150,000 Trees in India, Becoming a Reforestation Leader; Prasiddhi Forest Foundation

Related Articles:

Environmental Activist Saves One of the Largest Forests in India From Harmful Coal Mining

Optical Illusion Bird Sculptures Made of Discarded Plastic Toys Sends an Important Environmental Message

Six-Lane Highway Will Soon Be Covered With an Environmentally Friendly Land Bridge

Environmental Activist Wears a Custom Suit Showing All the Trash He Produced in a Month

READ: 12-Year-Old Plants Over 150,000 Trees in Valiant Reforestation Efforts in India

This year's Venice Architecture Biennale revolves around the theme that asks designers to consider how architecture can address global challenges by incorporating technology. The Canada Pavilion has certainly taken that theme to heart with its presentation of Picoplanktonics, living 3D-printed sculptures that give back rather than take from the environment.

Picoplanktonics is the brainchild of Living Room Collective, a team of architects, scientists, artists, and educators led by architect and biodesigner Andrea Shin Ling. Together, the team worked on creating an intelligent and sustainable material capable of pulling carbon dioxide from the air.

“Picoplanktonics marks four years of research at ETH Zürich with international collaborators in material science, biology, robotics, and computational design,” shares Ling. “As we move these living prototypes into the Canada Pavilion, we are thrilled to invite the public into this open experiment and reveal all phases of the material’s life, including growth, sickness, and death, while collectively imagining a regenerative design approach that seeks planetary remediation.”

The 3D-printed structures contain live cyanobacteria, capable of carbon sequestration, and serve as a beautiful example of an ecology-first design ethos. To house the structure, the Canada Pavilion has been transformed into the perfect host environment. The light, moisture, and warmth inside the pavilion have been optimized to give the cyanobacteria everything they need to thrive and grow. Throughout the Biennale, on-site caretakers will be attending to the structures, demonstrating that caretaking is an integral part of the design. In doing so, the organizers hope to spark discourse about how humans and design can work in harmony for the good of the planet.

“Through the lens of architecture, this year’s Canadian exhibition brings technological innovation and ecological stewardship together,” shares Michelle Chawla, director and CEO, Canada Council for the Arts. “It is a unique exhibition, sure to inspire global audiences and to ignite important conversations, about how our built environment might better house and use natural systems for a more sustainable future.”

Picoplanktonics will remain on view at the Venice Architecture Biennale's Canada Pavilion through November 26, 2025.

The Canada Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale presents Picoplanktonics.

These 3D-printed sculptures contain live bacteria that harness carbon dioxide from the environment.

The work has been developed over four years by the Living Room Collective.

Andrea Shin Ling (Photo: Girts Apskalns)

Throughout the Biennale, on-site caretakers will attend to the structures to ensure they grow and thrive.

Exhibition Information:
Picoplanktonics
May 10, 2025 – November 26, 2025
Canada Pavilion
Venice Architecture Biennale
Giardini / Arsenale, Venice, Italy

Picoplanktonics: Website 

All images Living Room Collective, except where noted. My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Related Articles:

World’s First Carbon Capture Facility to Be Operational by Early 2025

“Living” Chandelier Made with Algae-Filled Leaves Naturally Purifies the Air

Giant Filtration System Serves Espresso Made With Water From Venice Canals

Startup Creates LEGO-Like Bricks That Can Affordably Remove Carbon Dioxide From the Air

READ: Living 3D-Printed Structures Pull Carbon Dioxide From the Air

The “beauty shot version” of Perpetual Ocean 2: Western Boundary Currents. (Photo: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center via NASA Scientific Visualization Studio)

Photos taken from space help us better understand things that happen on land. They visualize land masses such as mountain ranges, show where different ecosystems meet, and even how the population of cities expand over time. But have you ever considered that space imaging may also help us understand the Earth’s oceans, too?

Oceans cover about 71% of Earth, while land makes up the remaining 29%. It’s no secret that much of the world’s oceans are a mystery, but a project from NASA may help us uncover just a bit more of what happens beneath the surface.

An ocean current visualization model created by NASA’s Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (ECOO) Group plots out the most traveled underwater highways on Earth. Pulling data from buoys, spacecraft, and other instruments, the model almost resembles Vincent van Gogh’s famous impasto style, immortalized in Starry Night.

Besides looking beautiful, this visualization also demonstrates the importance of Earth’s oceans in creating the conditions that allow life to thrive. Ocean currents function as underwater highways and operate on horizontal and vertical axes. Thanks to this dual flow, ocean currents transport carbon, nutrients, and heat around the planet. In effect, these underwater highways support marine ecosystems and regulate the Earth’s climate.

In an article written for NASA, James Riordon says: “In addition to affecting global weather patterns and temperatures, western boundary currents can drive vertical flows in the oceans known as upwellings. The flows bring nutrients up from the depths to the surface, where they act as fertilizer for phytoplankton, algae, and aquatic plants.” A prime example of this happens near the Kuroshio Current of Japan. Upswelling that occurs there supports robust local marine ecosystems, which support Japan’s fishing industry.

The oceanic current patterns connect to essentially form a “conveyor belt,” which distributes heat from the equator towards the poles of the planet. It has a direct effect on regional climates, both near and far. Take, for example, the Gulf Stream and the United States. This particular current is responsible for moderating temperatures along the U.S.’s Eastern Coast. It is also important for the climate in Europe and parts of Africa: without it, the winters in the former would be significantly colder, and droughts would be more severe in the latter.

If you’ve watched any of the hurricanes that have recently occurred in the United States, you may notice that sometimes they seem to follow the path of these underwater highways as well. With climate change and the increasing addition of freshwater from melting polar ice caps, the underwater highway systems are experiencing a slowdown in their current exchange.

Researchers worry that if currents continue to slow, these underwater highways may collapse. Such a breakdown would greatly affect planetary heat distribution, marine ecosystem support, and weather pattern disruption. As we appreciate the beauty of this ocean visualization model and Earth’s underwater highways, we must remember how delicate these systems that sustain life are, and the consequences we may face if they become altered beyond repair.

To learn more about the ocean visualization model, visit NASA's website.

While images from space usually show us what happens on land, a new project by NASA dives deeper into the Earth's oceans.

Photo: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Reto Stöckli via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Developed using data from the Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (ECOO) Group, the visualization model examines the planet's current systems. These “underwater highways” regulate the Earth's temperature, support marine ecosystems, and determine regional climate and weather events.

View from outside the International Space Station of Hurricane Florence on the morning of September 12th, 2018 (Photo: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0)

Watch the video below to learn more about the ocean visualization model.

Sources: Going with the Flow: Visualizing Ocean Currents with ECCO; An Ocean in Motion: NASA's Mesmerizing View of Earth's Underwater Highways

Related Articles:

David Attenborough’s ‘Ocean’ Film Explores the Beauty and Fragility of Life Beneath the Waves

84% of Coral Reefs Around the World Affected By Worst Bleaching Event on Record

Photos of Hurricane Milton Seen From Space Reveal Its Size and Swirling Power

Antarctica Faces 50-Degree Temperature Increase Amid Persisting Heat Wave

READ: Incredible NASA Imaging Shows the Most Traveled “Underwater Highways” on Earth

Photo: National Science Foundation (University of Washington/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Deep in the ocean, near an underwater mountain in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, lie a series of carbonate “towers” that rise from the inky depths to create a jagged landscape. With only the light of remote-operated vehicles sent to examine the site, these structures appear eerie and ghostly. The various towers clustered together give them an urban feel, leading scientists to call this natural wonder the Lost City.

The Lost City Hydrothermal Field was first discovered in 2000, over 2,300 feet below the surface. It is the longest-living vented environment in the ocean, and nothing like it has been found in the years since its discovery. Scientists estimate this unique underwater vent field has been in existence for at least 120,000 years, maybe longer.

Despite this structure’s desolate ocean surroundings, its designation as a “Lost City” isn't quite apt. The upthrusting mantle reacts with seawater to disperse methane, hydrogen, and other gases out into the ocean. As a result, novel microbial communities survive in the nooks and crannies of the vent system, managing to live even without oxygen thanks to the presence of hydrocarbons produced by the towers’ chemical reactions. Some of the calcite towers also double as chimneys; they spew gases at temperatures as high as 104 degrees Fahrenheit and house a variety of crustaceans and snails. Larger species, such as shrimp, sea urchins, crabs, and eels, have also been found near the site, but with significantly less frequency.

Aside from being a natural wonder, understanding Lost City is key to understanding ourselves. The hydrocarbons produced in these mineral vents occur as a result of chemical reactions on the deep seafloor, not due to carbon dioxide or sunlight. Because hydrocarbons are also known as the building blocks of life, the chemical processes that take place in the Lost City could be the very same ones that began life on Earth, and potentially on other planets.

In 2018, William Brazelton, a microbiologist, told Anna Kusmer at The Smithsonian that, “this is an example of a type of ecosystem that could be active on Enceladus or Europa right this second.” The idea that the moons of Saturn and Jupiter could have similar conditions for life is an exciting one. And, there's more to be discovered about Lost City. Researchers announced in 2024 that they were able to successfully recover a core sample of mantle rock from the site.

Lost City is the only thermal field of its kind, making it valuable for the knowledge we can, and are, gleaning from it. But developments in mining rights to the surrounding deep sea may have negative impacts on the impressive mineral vent system. Amid calls to designate the natural wonder as a World Heritage site, we must act swiftly to protect the Lost City, not just for its impressive look, but also for its potential to unlock the secrets of life itself.

An underwater “Lost City” located in the deep-sea Mid-Atlantic Ridge may hold the key to understanding how life on Earth began.

Photo: OptimusPrimeBot via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The hydrothermal field contains a series of jagged “towers,” which are made of mineral carbonate.

Photo: Susan Lang, U. of SC. / NSF / ROV Jason / 2018 © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Despite its extreme environment, the Lost City is home to a few critters due to its production of hydrocarbons, as a result of deep-sea chemical reactions.

Photo: Susan Lang, U. of SC. / NSF / ROV Jason / 2018 © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Scientists believe that examining the Lost City's mineral conditions may offer more clues into how life came to be, on this planet and beyond.

Photo: NOAA via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Sources: Diving Deep to Reveal the Microbial Mysteries of Lost City

Related Articles:

Mysterious Ancestor Connecting All Life on Earth Is 200 Million Years Older Than We Thought

Researchers Discover 7,000-Year-Old Underwater Road

Researchers Discover World’s Oldest Water in a Mine Nearly 2 Miles Underground

Explorers Have Discovered the World’s Deepest Shipwreck 22,621 Feet Under the Sea

READ: Underwater “Lost City” May Hold the Key To Understanding How Life on Earth Began

Photo: siyue/Depositphotos

Earlier this year, a UNESCO report highlighted the alarming rate at which glaciers are melting, warning that nearly 2 billion people will be affected. Now, just two months later, the Swiss village of Blatten is witnessing this crisis firsthand. On May 28, 2025, a massive chunk of the Birch glacier plummeted into the valley and destroyed nearly all the communities’ traditional chalets.

Drone footage revealed how a large part of the glacier collapsed at around 3:30 p.m. local time, flooding Blatten in an avalanche of mud and dust. Fortunately, geologists monitoring the area had already issued a warning about the glacier’s instability, advising the 300 residents of Blatten to evacuate. While no casualties were confirmed, one person remains missing, and many homes were destroyed, leaving some residents uncertain if they will ever be able to return.

Blatten’s mayor, Matthias Bellwald, said, “The unimaginable has happened,” but remained hopeful that the village would rebuild. “We have lost our village, but not our heart,” he said. “We will support each other and console each other. After a long night, it will be morning again.”

The Swiss government has promised funding to help Blatten’s residents rebuild or relocate nearby. However, Raphaël Mayoraz, head of the regional office for Natural Hazards, cautioned that more evacuations could be needed in areas around Blatten. Glaciologists have been warning for years that alpine towns and villages are at risk, and sadly, Blatten isn’t the first to face evacuation.

The glacier’s collapse serves as a stark reminder of the impacts of climate change. A recent report on Switzerland’s glaciers suggests they could totally vanish within a century if global temperatures rise more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels—a target that nearly 200 countries agreed to under the Paris Climate Accord 10 years ago. However, some climate scientists say the 1.5°C target has already been surpassed, accelerating glacier melt and increasing flood and landslide risks for other mountainous regions around the world.

While the climate trends are concerning, experts monitoring the situation are working hard to address hazards and save lives by issuing early warnings. Events like Blatten also highlight the need for supporting less developed countries in preparing for similar challenges.

Scroll down to watch the video of the Birch glacier collapsing.

On May 28, 2025, a massive chunk of the Birch glacier plummeted into the Swiss village of Blatten, destroying nearly all infrastructure.

Source: Glacier collapse buries most of Swiss village

Related Articles:

Moving Exhibition Ruminates on the Emotional Complexities of Disappearing Glaciers [Interview]

UN Report Reveals Glaciers Are Melting at a Record Rate, Affecting Livelihood of Billions Worldwide

Shocking Photos Taken 15 Years Apart Show How Much Swiss Glacier Has Melted

Ranch-Style Mirrored House Is a Chameleon Among the Mountainous Swiss Alps

READ: Swiss Glacier Collapse Highlights Urgent Reality of Climate Change

Makoko River, Lagos (Photo: Kashope Faje)

Last month, a pack of animals cascaded onto the banks of the Congo River. From afar, the giraffes, gorillas, wildebeests, and elephants that form the stampede seem real enough. Look closer, however, and the puppeteers emerge, gently manipulating animal limbs into fluid movement. These are the life-sized animal puppets comprising the public—and mobile—artwork The Herds.

In the coming months, The Herds will travel through cities across Africa and Europe, eventually culminating in the Arctic Circle in August. The four-month journey is ambitious in its sheer global scale, spanning 12,400 miles and 20 cities, beginning on April 9 in the Congo Basin. Since then, The Herds has already passed through Lagos, Dakar, Marrakech, Casablanca, and Rabat, staging encounters not only with the public, but with each city’s distinct culture. In Kinshasa, for instance, the puppets confronted the Nsango Mbonda drumming group, while in Casablanca, where animals often charge through the city center, they crashed into circus artist Bader Haoutar. In June, The Herds will tour Europe, with stops in Madrid, Paris, Venice, and London.

By July, the animals will have reached Scandinavia, traveling to Copenhagen, Stockholm, and, finally, Trondheim in Norway. The artwork will conclude in the Arctic Circle, with its “final powerful act” yet to be revealed. Along the way, other local species will join the stampede, including vervet monkeys in Nigeria, wolves and red deer in Europe, and reindeer in Norway, by which point the flock will have grown by 150 additional puppets.

The geographical breadth covered by The Herds is certainly impressive, but so is its message: these animals are fleeing the ongoing climate disaster, seeking shelter in the north. To complement this sense of urgency, the project is also engaging climate organizations like WWF, Wild Africa, Save the Elephants, and TED Countdown, alongside zoologists, climate activists, universities, scientists, and politicians. Each city will be home to specific interventions as well, addressing the myriad ways that climate change impacts different regions around the world. In Madrid, for example, The Herds will consider Spain’s increased flooding in collaboration with Compañía Nacional de Danza.

The Herds is the second project of its kind from Walk Productions, who, in July 2021, launched its Little Amal artwork. Depicting a massive, 12-foot-tall puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian girl, Little Amal has traveled to 166 towns and cities in 17 countries, shedding light on the refugee crisis.

“The Herds is a living, breathing call to action that stampedes across continents,” Amir Nizar Zuabi, Palestinian playwright and artistic director of the project, says. “Through the beauty and ferocity of these life-sized creatures, we aim to spark dialogue, provoke thought, encourage engagement, and inspire real change.”

To learn more about The Herds, visit the project’s website.

Created by Walk Productions, The Herds is an ambitious public artwork that will travel from Africa to the Arctic Circle, consisting of life-sized animal puppets.

Kinshasa, at the Jardin de Botanique (Photo: Berclaire)

Kinshasa, at the Congo Basin (Photo: Berclaire)

Marrakesh (Photo: Oussama Oulhiq)

The artwork’s four-month journey spans 12,400 miles and 20 cities, which began on April 9 in the Congo Basin and will end in the Arctic Circle in August.

Lagos, April 19, 2025 (Photo: Kashope Faje)

Kinshasa, at the Congo Basin (Photo: Berclaire)

Lagos, April 19, 2025 (Photo: Kashope Faje)

Kinshasa, at the Jardin de Botanique (Photo: Berclaire)

The project’s message is stark: these animals are fleeing the ongoing climate disaster, seeking shelter in the north.

Marrakesh (Photo: Oussama Oulhiq)

Dakar (Photo: Jean-Baptise Joire)

Sabo Yaba Market, Lagos (Photo: Kashope Faje)

Lagos, April 19, 2025 (Photo: Kashope Faje)

The Herds: Website | Instagram

All images via The Herds Press Room.

Related Articles:

Artist Upcycles Scrap Metal Into a Majestic Menagerie of Animal Sculptures

Artist’s Hyperrealistic Paintings Reflect the Vulnerability and Beauty of Animals in the Wild

Artist Promotes Wildlife Conservation With Her Awe-Inspiring Animal Paintings

READ: Ambitious Mobile Artwork Will Travel From Africa to the Arctic Circle to Campaign Against Climate Change

Photo: TsuneoMP/Depositphotos

Japan is taking the concept of solar energy to a new level by moving into outer space. The country's OHISAMA project, named after the Japanese word for sun, will launch a space-based solar power station that can wirelessly beam energy back to Earth.

At the International Conference on Energy from Space, held in London in April 2024, Koichi Ijichi, an adviser at Japan Space System, discussed how OHISAMA would work. A test spacecraft weighing 400 pounds and fitted with a 22-square-foot solar panel will collect sunlight during its orbit. The energy that is harnessed will then be transferred to large antennas via microwaves.

“The transmission will take only a few minutes,” Ijichi shared. “But once the battery is empty, it will take several days to recharge.”

The satellite, which is on track to launch in 2025, will have a relatively low initial energy output. Currently, it is projected to transmit about 1 kilowatt of energy at an altitude of 250 miles. To put that into perspective, that's the amount of energy needed to power a small household appliance like a dishwasher for an hour. While certainly not life-changing, Japan hopes that this small start can lead to something bigger.

Researchers have already demonstrated transmission from a moving aircraft; now they need to make the leap to space. The hope is to one day launch giant power satellites capable of producing up to one gigawatt of solar energy. Whether they are successful or not, even at this small scale, they are leading the charge. And if OHISAMA can get its test satellite into orbit, they will be making history.

Japan will make history when it launches a satellite to harness solar power from space as part of the OHISAMA project, which has undergone extensive testing.

Source: Japanese satellite will beam solar power to Earth in 2025; Japan poised to make history as the first country to transmit solar power from space to Earth

Related Articles:

New Report Finds the World Shift To Clean Energy Is “Unstoppable”

Energy Converter Harnesses the Power of Waves To Turn Heaving Currents Into Electricity

Japan Is Submerging an Enormous Turbine in the Ocean To Produce “Endless” Clean Energy

Blue Ghost Lander Celebrates Successful Moon Landing by Capturing Spectacular Images of Earth

READ: Japan Is Making History by Harnessing Solar Power From Space

A bottom trawler scours the ocean floor. (Photo: Silverback Films and Open Planet Studios)

For the first time ever, the full destructive nature of bottom trawling is on display. Filmed for the feature-length documentary Ocean with David Attenborough, it's a harrowing look at this industrial fishing practice that happens daily around the globe. While bottom trawling is often cited as environmentally damaging, this is the first time the public will see the havoc it wreaks.

Bottom trawling involves dragging heavy, weighted nets across the ocean floor. Advocates tout it as an efficient way to catch a large quantity of fish and shellfish for our growing global population. However, Attenborough reveals that trawlers are almost always looking for a single species—often cod, haddock, or halibut—and “almost three-quarters of a trawler's catch will be thrown away.” As the acclaimed naturalist says, “It’s hard to imagine a more wasteful way to catch fish.”

With bottom trawling happening on a daily basis, covering an area the size of the Amazon rainforest every year, it's hard to watch. The camera's close-up view shows marine life desperately trying to escape the net, as it sucks up everything on the ocean floor. For the filmmakers, capturing the destruction was distressing, but when they couldn't find any existing clear footage of trawling, they knew they had a responsibility to the public to show the truth. So, they obtained permission to mount cameras on commercial trawling nets.

“It's one of the most important things I've ever done in my career,” says the film's director, Keith Scholey. They have now made their footage of trawling available to scientists so that “no one ever has to [film] it again.”

For Dr. Enric Sala, National Geographic Pristine Seas founder and the film's executive producer, the visuals were even more powerful than he expected. “For the first time, people can see the destruction of bottom trawling unfold in front of their eyes—the heavy nets dragging across the Ocean’s precious floor and killing everything in their wake. I hope the film makes people all over the world fall in love with the Ocean and inspires them to protect it.”

Ocean with David Attenborough will premiere on National Geographic on Saturday, June 7,  and be available to stream globally the next day, World Oceans Day, on Disney+ and Hulu.

In Ocean with David Attenborough filmmakers have captured the full destruction of bottom trawling for the first time.

An area the size of the Amazon rainforest is trawled annually, with many locations trawled repeatedly.

An aerial view of the impacts of bottom trawling on the ocean floor. (Photo: Silverback Films and Open Planet Studios)

Ocean with David Attenborough premieres on National Geographic on June 7 and will then be available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu.

Source: Never-before-seen footage of bottom trawling’s devastating effects featured in Ocean with David Attenborough; Fish flee for their lives in rare, chilling video of bottom trawling

Related Articles:

Largest Ocean Cleanup Hauls 103 Tons of Plastic From the Pacific Ocean

Scientists Create 3D-Printed Terra Cotta Tiles to Encourage Coral Reef Growth

5-Year-Old Sir David Attenborough Fan Draws 99 Animals To Celebrate the Naturalist’s 99th Birthday

READ: Bottom Trawling’s Destructive Power Captured on Film for the First Time

Photo: Jonathan Borba via Unsplash

The ocean covers about 70% of the Earth’s surface, and yet a new study reveals just how little we know about the largest livable space on our planet. Published on May 7 in the journal Science Advances, the report found that humans have seen less than 0.001% of our deep seafloor—an area roughly equivalent to that of Rhode Island.

The deep sea is renowned for being one of the world’s most inaccessible environments, at more than 656 feet below the ocean’s surface. Here, light is sparse and the water frigid, allowing bizarre creatures like the flapjack octopus and anglerfish to thrive in near-complete or total darkness. These ecosystems are equally essential to regulating and maintaining our climate, absorbing about 90% of the world’s excess heat and about 30% of the carbon dioxide that human activities release into the atmosphere. From phytoplankton that produce an estimated 80% of the world’s oxygen to the marine sponges that boast a range of medicinal chemical compounds, the study’s authors share that this incredible biome provides “critical services and resources to humankind.”

Researching the deep sea may be crucial, but it’s also a daunting task. Tools like sonar can certainly reveal the shape of the seafloor, although those maps aren’t nearly as comprehensive or detailed as those produced by cameras, which are far more challenging to plunge that deep into the ocean.

“The fact of the matter is, when you're down there with a remotely operated vehicle or other sort of deep-submergence vehicle, you can only see a very tiny bit of the deep sea floor at any one time,” Katy Croff Bell of the nonprofit Ocean Discovery League, who led the study, told NPR.

For those very reasons, it might not come as a surprise that we’ve explored so little of the deep sea. Even so, the 0.001% statistic is illuminating, proving how much we still have left to discover. To reach such a conclusion, Bell and her team produced a database of about 44,000 records of deep sea activities, starting in 1958 and involving everything from robotic vehicles to human-driven subs.

These efforts have not only been vastly limited in terms of seafloor area, but also in geographical scope. The study determined that a majority of visual observations occurred within 200 nautical miles of the United States, Japan, and New Zealand. These three countries, alongside France and Germany, led nearly all of the expeditions.

“The Indian Ocean is one of the least explored areas,” Bell explains. “Given how little we’ve seen and how biased it is, we can’t really give you a global map of all the habitats of the deep sea, because we just haven’t been to all of them.”

For Time Magazine, Bell added: “It’s like if we were to make all assumptions about terrestrial ecosystems from observations of 0.001% of land area, that would equate to smaller than the land area of Houston, Texas.”

The study comes on the heels of U.S. President Trump’s executive order, signed on April 24, seeking to fast-track deep sea mining in the Pacific Ocean. The move has prompted significant outcry—and anxieties about mining effects on deep sea habitats.

“It’s like clear cutting the forest,” Jeff Watters, VP of external affairs at Ocean Conservancy, told Time. “You’re talking about completely destroying a deep sea bed environment for all intents and purposes on the human scale permanently.”

To learn more about these fascinating findings, read the full study in Science Journal.

The ocean may cover about 70% of the Earth’s surface, but a new study published in Science Journal has found that we’ve explored less than 0.001% of the deep sea.

Photo: Thanos Pal via Unsplash

Sources: More than 99% of the Deep Sea Still Remains a Mystery; Humans still haven't seen 99.999% of the deep seafloor; How little we’ve seen: A visual coverage estimate of the deep seafloor; We've Only Glimpsed 0.001% of Earth's Deep Seafloor, Study Reveals

Related Articles:

Ocean Census Announces the Discovery of Over 800 New Marine Species

Scientists Discover Possible Ocean of Water Beneath Mars’ Surface

Battery-Like Metals Generate “Dark Oxygen” in the Deep Ocean

READ: Study Reveals That Humans Have Only Seen 0.001% of Our Deep Seafloor