Explore our blue planet! Let this BBC Science Focus special edition open your eyes to the incredible world beneath the waves. IN THIS ISSUE: What if we banned fishing? | The DNA detectives | How to clean the ocean of plastic | The mission to scan every fish | New technology to explore the deep sea | Why we need to rethink fish intelligence.
Our Oceans
Welcome
EYE OPENER
HOW WE CAN SAVE THE OCEANS AND HOW THEY CAN SAVE US
PART ONE • HERE ARE SOME OF THE BRIGHTEST AND BEST INITIATIVES THAT HOPE TO SAFEGUARD OUR OCEANS’ FUTURE
PART TWO • DRUGS, FOOD AND OXYGEN… HERE IS WHAT WE STAND TO LOSE IF WE FAIL TO PROTECT OUR OCEANS
THERE AREN’T PLENTY MORE FISH IN THE SEA • Decades of poor fishing practices may spell the end of fish as food. But it’s not the end of the line yet, as new innovations could help reverse the damage
THE BIGGEST LOSERS • Some species are more sensitive to pollution and fishing…
WHAT IF… [WE BANNED FISHING?] • FISHING DAMAGES ENTIRE ECOSYSTEMS AND POLLUTES OUR OCEANS. SO WOULD WE BE BETTER OFF WITHOUT IT?
COUNTING FISH • So-called ‘environmental DNA’ is helping conservationists keep track of marine species
HUNTING FOR ANCIENT BEASTS
ALIEN SPECIES SURVEILLANCE
GOTTA SCAN ’EM ALL • An American researcher has embarked on a project to scan the inner structures of every species of fish known to science – more than 33,000 of them. Here’s what he’s uncovered
THE FINAL FRONTIER • We know more about outer space than our own oceans. We have beer maps of Mars and Venus than the seabed. So meet the new breed of divers who are going to change all that by boldly going where no scientist has gone before…
DEEPER DIVING • Exploring the mysterious ‘twilight zone’
CALL IN THE SEALS • How sensor-equipped seals have helped scientists peer below the Antarctic ice
ROBOT SUBS • How gliders are going where humans can’t
THE MOST MYSTERIOUS PLACES IN THE OCEANS
LITTLE MERMAID • Building a distinctly human-like underwater avatar
WHAT LIES BENEATH
GOING DOWN, DOWN, DOWN… • How next-generation submersibles are enabling scientists to dive deeper than ever before
ALIENS OF THE DEEP • While the ocean remains largely unexplored, we occasionally get a glimpse of the weird and wonderful creatures that eke out a living in the deep. Here are some that are totally out-of-this-world
TURNING THE TIDE • Almost all of the world’s oceans have been damaged by human activities such as pollution, industrial fishing and climate change. But how does this impact the deep ocean environment?
MINING NEW DEPTHS • THE DEEP SEA CONTAINS A TREASURE TROVE OF PRECIOUS RESOURCES THAT PEOPLE WANT TO MINE. BUT ARE REGULATIONS IN PLACE TO PROTECT THE DELICATE ENVIRONMENT FROM THIS RACE TO THE BOTTOM?
PROTECTING THE CCZ • Miners have their eyes on the bounty of the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone
DEEP-SEA MINING TARGETS • Resource-rich locations being scouted by miners
THE PLASTIC AGE • In recent years we’ve had an epiphany: our lives and the planet are literally up with plastic. Now that we’re starting to get a grip on the problem, what can we do about it?
THE NEW ‘PLASTICS’ • In the next few years we could start seeing traditional oil-based plastics increasingly replaced by biodegradable plastics, including some made from unusual materials
NANOPLASTICS • A bigger problem than microplastics?
HACK YOUR SHOPPING • MANY OF US ARE LOOKING TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF SINGLE-USE PLASTIC THAT ENDS UP IN OUR WEEKLY SHOP. HERE ARE A FEW EASY IDEAS TO HELP YOU KICK THE PLASTIC HABIT
TROUBLED WATERS • In October 2019, The Ocean Cleanup’s system collected plastic from the Great Pacific...
