Everyone gets into science communication for different reasons, but to date this might be my favorite:

“Some senators were being dicks and criticizing physiology science as wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars.”

Garfield Kwan, of the dynamic duo behind the ocean comic Squidtoons, was working in a physiology lab at the time when Senator Tom Coburn’s scaling 2011 critique of “wasteful” NSF funding was released. Little did the Senator know that putting on blast the epic physiological research that involved running shrimp on treadmills would inspire Kwan to explore connecting a larger audience to science in his own unique way.

Thus, Squidtoons was born. In collaboration with scientific illustrator Dana Song, Squidtoons is an ocean comic dedicated to translating scientific research into engaging infographics to educate the pubic about science, provide educators with teaching tools, and support scientists with compelling illustrations. Infused with a significant dose of humor and pop culture, each comic is the product of an extensive amount of research and expert scientific review. The illustrations are as accurate as they are dazzling. We here at DSN were fans of Squidtoons before it was cool.

This year Kwan and Song expanded their inky, scicom-ic empire by publishing their first ever Squidtoons book “illustrating science with farts, burps, and giggles.” Containing 120 pages of the Squidtoons “best of” playlist, the book is a fun romp for both kids and adults alike. Garfield reflects on his hopes for the book, “Squidtoons has the potential to be a great outreach tool for researchers around the world, as well as a great platform for the public to understand science by researchers from around the world.”

Get yours today just in time to dazzle your relatives for the holidays with all of your ocean science nerd jokes- courtesy of Squidtoons!

The post Writings on the SeaWall: Squidtoons first appeared on Deep Sea News.

I love kelp. I love art. It’s safe to say that ‘kelp art’ brings me to a whole new level of excitement that some could consider “overwhelming” in normal human interactions. I’m okay with it- people need to get on my level.

I first came across artist Bryan Helfand’s kelp art a few years back now and I have since been a huge fan. Normally, I reserve this bit for artists whose work communicates science in some interesting way- Bryan is the exception here- but I have found myself enthralled with the way he portrays the ocean and more specifically everyone’s favorite primary producer. Helfand is a local San Diego artist who specializes in mixed media paintings, wood carvings, and murals and whose muse stems from his passion for and experience with the sea. I often find myself perusing his Facebook page for his next beautiful masterpiece- the man is a wizard with a jigsaw.

I love how he captures the unique ebb and flow of Macrocystis – not true to form per se – but beautiful and vibrant none the less. Enjoy a few of his imaginings here and then go take a look at his website for some inspiration. The ocean needs more excellent artists like Bryan to speak for it and show the world how beautiful it truly is.

The post The Writings on the Sea-Wall: Ocean Art by Bryan Helfand first appeared on Deep Sea News.

As a result of anthropogenic climate change, sea level has risen approximate 7 inches in the past 100 years. With the combination of melting land ice and expansion of warmer seas, scientists conservatively predict a 1-4 foot rise by the year 2100. Effectively, sea level rise poses widespread and continuing threats to the economy and environment of coastal regions.

To reinforce the urgency of this situation, New York based artist Eve Mosher, started to walk the line. Literally. Using a baseball field chalk marker, Mosher laid a 70 mile white line of chalk in 2007 across Manhattan and Brooklyn. The HighWaterLine as it was called, demarcated the areas that would be severely impacted by increased mega floods if climate change continued. The power of this public installment truly hit home ironically in 2012 when the flooding brought on by Hurricane Sandy surpassed the proverbial “chalk line.”

“Walking the line with the participants and hearing of their stories after the event provides concrete evidence of the power of transformation of HighWaterLine…I hope that in every instance, HighWaterLine is just the beginning of these communities working together to build resilience and transform their cities.” says Mosher.

Since the first exhibition of the HighWaterLine, the project has debuted in five different cities from Bristol to Miami, the most climate vulnerable U.S. city. Along with the art piece, the project is also accompanied by interactive workshops to get the community more involved in the climate conversation and provide tools to create a culture of change. Currently, the group is working on a Action Guide to mentor others in bringing the HighWaterLine project to groups around the world.

The post The Writing on the Sea-Wall: High Water Line first appeared on Deep Sea News.

For when it’s Thursday and everyone needs a little bit more cute, cuddly, and slightly slimey things in their life…Etsy never let’s us down.

I have seen a lot (LIKE A LOT) of fun ocean arts and crafts in my day, but I couldn’t help but SQUEEEE when I saw these adorable woolen nudis by artist Arina Borevich. They are perfectly detailed, true to form, and I need them all. So please go to her ETSY shop right now (craftshop27) and buy them….and send me one.

HT/Chad Thompson for sending me this and making my day a little bit brighter with all my favorite sea beasties.

The post #SlugLyfe first appeared on Deep Sea News.

“So much wildlife is undervalued simply for the reason that it is not itself easily recognizable, and its contribution to the planet, ecosystem, or humanity, even less so. This is especially true of the smaller forms — the strange ones that require us to get down into the undergrowth with a magnifying glass, snorkel a stream, or explore the nooks of a reef to know they are there. My work focuses on these unusual yet captivating and often beautiful creatures. I try to create windows to those secret worlds in ways that foster a greater awareness of the magnificence of the natural world and its enormous biodiversity — and hopefully encourage action to preserve wildlife and wild places.”

-Michael Ready

The newest exhibit at Cabrillo National Monument, The See Life Collection is a unique project highlighting the stunning and diverse ecosystems and animals that call Cabrillo home.

The artist, Michael Ready, is a nature photographer based in San Diego, California. From vanishing amphibians to bioluminescent squid, Ready seeks to reveal the diversity of life and particularly its smaller and lesser-known forms. While possessing a background deeply rooted in natural history, Ready’s vision is divergent from typified nature photography. With an eye for rich colors, abstract patterns, and compositional mystery, the resulting images bring a sense of wonder and connection to the wild — and to the idea that nothing is outside of nature.

With the See Life Collection, Ready masterfully captures the morphology of his subjects while building awareness for the biodiversity of the South West region of the United States. These images include some of the commonly occurring and easily discovered species, and others that are rarely seen due to their small size, ephemeral existence, or natural behavior. Merging the worlds of science and art, See Life challenges us to take a closer look and garner a deeper appreciation for our diverse world.

The See Life Collection is a product of the Cabrillo Artist-in-Residence Program. This program provides a platform for participating artisans to inspire and improve their local community and their National Park. The Monument offers beautiful views, powerful messages, and rich history that our artists capture through a variety of media. Stewarding the mission of the National Park Service through their unique voice, our artists take visitors down a journey which expands their perspectives, unveils new meaning, and heightens their understanding of our cultural and historical resources.

The See Life Collection will be on display at Cabrillo National Monument till March 2016 and will then tour throughout San Diego. For more information about the art or how to purchase, please visit, SEELIFE.michaelready.com

Some other stunning pieces from the collection–

The post The See Life Collection first appeared on Deep Sea News.

The artist is Zaria Forman, and she’s using the pieces to get people thinking about climate change:

Chasing the Light is an art expedition led by artist Zaria Forman that draws inspiration from breathtaking geography to create equally striking art…The artist says, “My hope is that these drawings bring awareness, and invite viewers to share the urgency in a hopeful and meaningful way. Art can facilitate a deeper understanding of any crisis, helping us find meaning and optimism in shifting landscapes.” As a continuation of her work addressing climate change, Forman is currently in the Maldives for the month. She explains, “As the lowest-lying country in the world, the Maldives will likely be the first nation submerged by rising seas.”

Part of the proceeds from the sale of Forman’s Greenland 2012 drawings go to 350, an organization dedicated to solving the global climate crisis. (See the original article at My Modern Met for more details)

And in case you don’t believe me about these images NOT being photos, here’s proof from the artist:

HT to Perrin Ireland for news about this awesome art!

The post TGIF: This Glacier is NOT a photo first appeared on Deep Sea News.

Inspired by the Coral Triangle and California’s Kelp forest, Okeanos was developed in collaboration with world-renowned marine biologists and oceanographers. This dance/cirque performance incorporates choreography, apparatus, and set design by Capacitor Artistic Director Jodi Lomask and the voices of Dr. Sylvia Earle and Dr. Tierney Thys. Okeanos includes video art by RJ Muna and Toshi Hoo, underwater cinematography by David Hannan, sound composition by EO, Kaya Project, Beats Antique, edIT, and Tipper, vocalizations by Anka Draugelates, violin by Julia Ogrydziak, and costumes by Kimie Sako & Becky Karthage. Okeanos is performed by Mayuko Hosoai, Elliott Gittelsohn, Naomi Hummel, NancyKate Seifkar, Maggie Powers, and Micah Walters.

The main highlight reel (with voiceover by Sylvia Earle!):

And of course, the Octopus dance:

You can find more information about Okeanos and more videos on the Capacitor dance troupe website.

The post TGIF: “Okeanos” – Marine Life & Modern Dance first appeared on Deep Sea News.

They say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” As cliche as it is, that phrase could not resonate more clearly for this visual learner than when I am flipping through a 10 lb. biology textbook full of thousands of words. I can read through pages and pages describing some ecological process or critter life cycle and be completely bogged down until, I hit the magical beacon of hope that brings it all together. An illustration. The same holds true for magazines, aquarium signage, field guides and I.D. books. Sometimes (dare I say usually)… the picture can tell you so much more. If done properly, it can completely transform a difficult idea into a simple and easily communicated concept.

Often, as scientists, I think we take these helpful diagrams for granted. Where do they even come from?! My first thought was little science minions, like Despicable Me status, locked up in some room at the publishing company being forced to draw out figure after textbook figure. But, that seemed to simple and obvious a conclusion. So I went looking and I found one. Not a minion (though that would be awesome), but a scientific illustrator.

Amadeo Bachar is a freelance science illustrator and fine artist. He teaches digital illustration at the Science Illustration program at California State University, Monterey Bay. I actually met Amadeo a couple years back at a Fishing Expo and was so struck by the detail of his artwork that I knew he would be the perfect person to talk to when it came to learning more about the unique art that is biological illustration.

Alex Warneke (AW): So Amadeo, you are a biological illustrator, what exactly does that mean?

Amadeo: I guess I would consider myself more of an illustrator that carries a large quiver of illustration techniques.  One being biological illustration or in more general terms, science illustration.  This requires a keen sense for accuracy in subject matter and a basic to intermediate understanding of all facets of science from nano-technology to astronomy. Most of the time my goal is to make a particular science accessible and understandable through illustration to the general public

AW: Was this always what you wanted to do?

Amadeo: I didn’t really know what I wanted to do.  I knew in junior college that I did not want to be an artist in the traditional sense.  I knew after a BS in marine biology that I did not want to be a researcher/scientist.  After a couple years building up my portfolio I decided that science illustration was a good way to blend the two together and follow some paths a little less traveled.

AW: Who are the types of groups that you work for?

Amadeo: Universities (CSUMB, UCSD, Stanford, Harvard), magazines (National Geographic, Scientific American), research groups (MBARI, Seafloor Mapping Lab), state and county funded outreach and education, etc..

AW: No doubt that natural talent plays a huge role in this type of career path, I mean I can draw a pretty mean stick fish myself, but is there more professional education/training that is needed?

Amadeo: The program I teach part time in at CSUMB is a good start.  The program teaches students sound technical skills, tricks of the trade and good business chops.

AW: When creating a piece to be placed in a field guide or at an aquarium. Is there a line between being artistic and being realistic?

Amadeo: Just so long you are accurately representing the critter, you can be as artistic as you want.  In other words, it’s ok to see brush strokes or pencil lines just so long those marks don’t mis-represent the anatomy of the subject that the illustration is intended to display.

AW: Along that same trend, how do you “study up”? I would probably just watch hours and hours of “Finding Nemo,” but I imagine it’s a bit more involved than that, getting all of those important details just right.

Amadeo: For my marine work, lots of diving and taking pictures.  For different clients, It’s like studying for a test.  Request as much material related to the illustration and read up, learn it and after digesting it craft it into a visual that accurately says it all simply and clearly.

AW: Could you briefly take us through the process of creating a piece from start to finish?

Amadeo: Research, research, research, sketches, research, sketches… haha Ok, you get the idea.  Research takes a big part of the process, It is the foundation.  Your illustration is only going to be as good as the references you have and those references are collected and understood through research.   After this it comes down to making rough sketches outlining critters, form and general composition. From there, revisions are usually requested by the client and then I move on to rendering in whatever medium is best suited for the distribution of the illustration.  Is it web, is it magazine, is it both plus merchandising, etc… Once this has been decided I start the final rendering of the subject.

Amadeo Bachar paints yellowtail from Mike Santaella on Vimeo.

AW: Personally, when I am doing some hard-core lab work, I bust out the Billboard Top 100 playlist. Do you have a go to mixed tape when you are working?

Amadeo: Sci-fi movie director commentary, TED talks, Sports documentaries and a couple Pandora stations usually do the trick as good working noise.

AW: Dual question. What is the best illustration you have ever done? And on the other side of the pillow, the hardest one you have completed?

Amadeo: The best illustration is always the next illustration.  Things are so rushed sometimes, so I seldom get to output a perfect work.  Heck, even when I have time I don’t come close to perfection, so I guess that’s just an excuse.  Illustrating comes pretty easy to me. The hard part in the process in a small handful of instances is the client.  Because it’s a team effort, it takes good communication between client and illustrator to make the process go smoothly. However, as always, it’s a two way street, so I try to be very aware understanding what they want and managing communication if I sense there is a breakdown.

AW: Inverts or Vertebrates?

Amadeo: Are both delicious? … ok, inverts.

AW: Who is your role model or if you don’t have one, what inspires you?

Amadeo: My daughter, wife, friends, colleagues, students are my role models.  Along with them, inspiration from my work comes from the amazing complexity yet simplicity of the natural world.

AW: As scientists, we geek out over new fangled technology (*Cough* Cough* Dr. Martini *Cough*). How has technology played a part in your line of work?

Amadeo: It’s played a huge part.  You cannot succeed as an illustrator if you are not competent in using digital painting, production and post production programs.  It’s also played a role on the research end.  As the sciences develop new technology, they are essentially creating better eyes, ears, senses.  The imagery and data from these measurements really make illustrations better, more accurate and easier to understand.

AW: You now teach courses on biological illustration at California State University Monterey Bay, can give us a bit of the 411 on that program?

Amadeo: The Science Illustration Program is a single cohort program that lasts three quarters.  Students learn and hone traditional and digital techniques in classes ranging from field sketching to zoological illustration covering assignments from intracellular diagrams to animations.  Along with this, completing an internship is a requirement for graduation, our students really come out with a sound foundation in science illustration.  Just this year alone, we have students interning at National Geographic, Smithsonian and MBARI to name a few.

Side note: For those interested in CSUMB’s Scientific Illustration Program: Discover more here. 

AW: What is the number one piece of advice you give your students?

Amadeo: As I mentioned before, your illustration will only be as good as the references you have, so do sound research, ask questions and find good references.

AW: Amadeo. It has been real. Thanks for taking the time to chit chat and share with us a little piece of your world.

For more information on Amadeo’s work as an artist and illustrator, please visit www.abachar.com

The post From coast to canvas: The art of biological illustration first appeared on Deep Sea News.

The earliest sawfishes likely arose in the shallow Tethys Sea, that ocean surrounded by the ancient continents of Godwanda and Laurasia, during the Cretaceous period at least 60 million years ago. They are the sole survivors of an ancient bloodline. Only seven species exist today roaming muddy bottoms of coastal areas like bays and estuaries. All sawfishes can move easily between fresh and saltwater and often venture deep upstream into rivers.

The sawfish lifestyle puts both their size and saw near humans. All seven species are considered critically endangered by the IUCN. As much as we have impacted them, sawfish have also greatly influenced our culture. One of the most destructive German submarines of World War II, U-96, that sunk 27 Allied ships had as a mascot the sawfish. A laughing sawfish. The saw is used by some Asian shamans for exorcisms and other ceremonies to repel demons and disease.

The Aztecs heralded sawfish as an “earth monster”. However, the most intriguing are the ceremonial headdresses of the Ijaw (or Ijo), a group of 15 million indigenous peoples of southern Nigeria. The Ijaw rely heavily upon rivers and oceans for survival and many are fishers. This close connection with water permeates Ijaw religion.

Although up to 90% are now Christian many still observe elaborate traditional rituals. The traditional religion centers on water spirits who can affect everything from the crop and fishing harvests to prosperity of a marriage. Annually, festivals are held to honor the water spirits to ensure a great harvest of fin and flower. Part of these rituals is the wearing of large wooden headdresses.

According to an eyewitness account, in one Ijo community a sawfish headdress, worn by an athletic young male, was brought to the village downriver in a canoe. Having disembarked, the sawfish danced on land, where he was “hunted” by masqueraders representing fishermen.

Carvers take great pride in carving a shark, sawfish, crocodile, or other aquatic predator from single pieces of wood. The headdresses can be large. In the case of the sawfish headdress I witnessed, the length is just over 7 feet.

These stories bring me full turn to idea that I have been struggling with since last year. The oceans obviously are deeply embedded in our various cultures permeating our religions and art. Yet for in this place of reverence comes the destruction of oceans.

Sawfishes are arguably the most threatened family of marine fishes in the world. The global populations of all seven sawfish species have experienced historic declines greater than 90% due to fisheries overexploitation (directed and bycatch) and habitat loss, and are consequently listed on the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered.

The post Exaltation to Extinction for Sawfishes first appeared on Deep Sea News.

When we see images like the above it is hard to believe the ocean inspires us. In one of the most striking examples of our connection to the oceans, if humans, any number of us, live within 200 kilometers of a reef there are effectively no sharks.  This is not the behavior and these are not the actions of a species inspired by the blue around us.

In my favorite view of Earth, centered on the equatorial Pacific Ocean, virtually no land can be seen.  Although cliché to say, we do live on a blue planet.  So we must ask, how could the ocean not inspire us?

The environment influences us in profound ways, an argument so well articulated by Jared Diamond in Guns, Germs, and Steal.  For example, Diamond argued that a plentiful supply of food lead to dense populations that in turn supported a division of labor and more complex societies to form.  Another of my favorite examples, one garnered from working on an undergraduate degree in religion, of environmental influences on humans concerns how different cultures view life after death.  In the Abrahamic religions, originating in arid environments, hell is characterized by extreme heat.  In contrast, among Inuits their equivalent of hell involves extreme cold.

Maybe we are just missing the connections

Perhaps we just need to take pause to truly witness the ways our oceans impact our popular culture.  And when we do so, we realized the evidence is really all around us.

A search of Etsy on my favorite organism, the Giant Squid, returns over 350 handmade items—a potpourri of painted, crocheted, stenciled, etched and sewed items inspired by one of the ocean’s largest denizens.  A search for “ocean” returns well over 140,000 items ranging from starfish shaped soaps to a crafted wooden marlin to iPhone cases featuring the beach.

But it is not just arts and crafts we adorn with images of the ocean.  We decorate our bodies as well.  A search for “ocean tattoo” using Google Image yields 54,000,00 images and searching for “ocean life tattoo” yields 12,700,000.  Whereas not all the images appear to be of actual tattoos, there is no shortage of body ink inspired by the ocean and the life in it.  Nor am I convinced that all these tattoos are from marine biologists or of dolphins (doing a search excluding dolphin still yields 52,600,000).

I believe these examples begin to hint at a society where the ocean consumes our thoughts and activities.  Indeed for many the ocean defines our rest and renewal.  I was inspired to investigate this when friends mentioned mid-month about an upcoming trip to the Bahamas.  It was a trip that makes us all envious–a week of relaxing on the beach.  If you use Google Trends you can see an annual cycle where people begin searching for the term “beach” at the beginning of year, peaking late summer, and diminishing until the end of year when the cycle repeats.  Interestingly, searches for “beach” are even more popular (5x) than “ocean”.  Both are more popular than Googling for “Justin Bieber” (nearly an order of magnitude greater).  On Twitter, the hashtag #beach yielded 792,120 tweets in the past month alone.  Some of my favorites are below.

We also must not forget about internet memes, the way we disseminate information (loosely defined) often humorous and frivolous.  LOL Cats must move over for Sad Shark, Shellfish, and the Intertidal.

And another example exists in high fashion.  We need to look no farther than Versace, Mary Katrantzou, and Stella McCartney ‘s Spring/Summer 2012 collections. As Holly mentioned,  “This season the runways were flooded (ha!) with ocean-themed prints and marine-inspired design.”

When my wife and I recently bought our first house, our first major task was to repaint.  For our bedroom we settled, largely under my urging, on Vintage Map, the color of oceans on charts of yesteryear.  However, there exists a multitude of greens, blues, and even oranges (Ocean Sunset) that are inspired by the beautiful hues of the oceans.  And when choosing the colors for furniture, floor coverings, and other essential decorative elements we can continue to draw on the ocean.  Nudibranchs, provide a wonderful palette of colors to choose from, all coordinated by nature herself.

From Jaws, Abyss, Life Aquatic, and Finding Nemo, there is no shortage of ocean themes enlivening our contemporary cinema.   I am admittedly biased but my favorite movie of the last decade was the Life Aquatic inspired by the films and life of Jacques Cousteau.  Nothing is more iconic of Cousteau than the red beanie, worn by the characters in Life Aquatic, and now countless others seeking to connect to the ocean legacy of Cousteau.

Although these examples are focused on pop culture and may seem whimsical and fleeting, they are reflective of a very deep seeded connection to the ocean, one that runs the course of history both as a nation and a species.

And thus we are left with a remaining question…

Why can we not turn this deep seeded connection to the ocean into more successful ocean conservation and stewardship?

The post Making The Connection: The Oceans In Contemporary American Culture first appeared on Deep Sea News.