Schmidt Ocean Institute
@schmidtocean.bsky.social
Boldly exploring our unknown Ocean
We're chairing sessions, delivering talks, and sharing our work at poster sessions — make sure to add these events to your schedule for #OSM26.
22-27 February | Glasgow, U.K.
22-27 February | Glasgow, U.K.
February 16, 2026 at 1:24 AM
We're chairing sessions, delivering talks, and sharing our work at poster sessions — make sure to add these events to your schedule for #OSM26.
22-27 February | Glasgow, U.K.
22-27 February | Glasgow, U.K.
Our latest #ScienceStory is out, featuring @cadurkin.bsky.social, a member of the #OBVI #LivingBioreactors expedition team with @schmidtsciences.bsky.social
youtu.be/dod0Qka9qd4?...
youtu.be/dod0Qka9qd4?...
A Closer Look (ft. Colleen Durkin) | Science Story
YouTube video by Schmidt Ocean
youtu.be
February 13, 2026 at 10:13 PM
Our latest #ScienceStory is out, featuring @cadurkin.bsky.social, a member of the #OBVI #LivingBioreactors expedition team with @schmidtsciences.bsky.social
youtu.be/dod0Qka9qd4?...
youtu.be/dod0Qka9qd4?...
In 2025, 57% of our chief scientists and 53% of our science party members were women, and women work at every level within Schmidt Ocean Institute. Today, on International Day of Women and Girls in Science, and every day, we celebrate the women exploring and studying the ocean.
February 11, 2026 at 5:53 PM
In 2025, 57% of our chief scientists and 53% of our science party members were women, and women work at every level within Schmidt Ocean Institute. Today, on International Day of Women and Girls in Science, and every day, we celebrate the women exploring and studying the ocean.
This is a Labichthys snipe eel.
Like many of the animals studied during the #OBVI #LivingBioreactors expedition w/ @schmidtsciences.bsky.social, Labichthys shelter in the depths & make a daily migration to feed near surface waters at night. Read full caption: youtube.com/shorts/zWjxE...
Like many of the animals studied during the #OBVI #LivingBioreactors expedition w/ @schmidtsciences.bsky.social, Labichthys shelter in the depths & make a daily migration to feed near surface waters at night. Read full caption: youtube.com/shorts/zWjxE...
February 10, 2026 at 9:42 PM
This is a Labichthys snipe eel.
Like many of the animals studied during the #OBVI #LivingBioreactors expedition w/ @schmidtsciences.bsky.social, Labichthys shelter in the depths & make a daily migration to feed near surface waters at night. Read full caption: youtube.com/shorts/zWjxE...
Like many of the animals studied during the #OBVI #LivingBioreactors expedition w/ @schmidtsciences.bsky.social, Labichthys shelter in the depths & make a daily migration to feed near surface waters at night. Read full caption: youtube.com/shorts/zWjxE...
Follow us to Oceanology International! Schmidt Ocean Institute Executive Director Dr. Jyotika Virmani joins 160+ speakers for 50+ sessions designed to tackle the sector’s most pressing technical, environmental, and operational challenges. Learn more: https://invt.io/1lxb60g81nl
February 10, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Follow us to Oceanology International! Schmidt Ocean Institute Executive Director Dr. Jyotika Virmani joins 160+ speakers for 50+ sessions designed to tackle the sector’s most pressing technical, environmental, and operational challenges. Learn more: https://invt.io/1lxb60g81nl
Reposted by Schmidt Ocean Institute
Working on image processing code in my new office on the Falkor too, while we transit to the next station. #LivingBioreactors @schmidtocean.bsky.social
February 9, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Working on image processing code in my new office on the Falkor too, while we transit to the next station. #LivingBioreactors @schmidtocean.bsky.social
“Like a firefly in the middle of a field
filled with noise,
its shining, latent light within,
a tiny bell, small and soundless.
I fade away so that you may lose yourself.
I fold myself into my wings.”
Poem by Pedro Serrano, trans. by Don Cellini.
Psychedelic jellyfish, #argentiniandeepseeps, 3804 m
filled with noise,
its shining, latent light within,
a tiny bell, small and soundless.
I fade away so that you may lose yourself.
I fold myself into my wings.”
Poem by Pedro Serrano, trans. by Don Cellini.
Psychedelic jellyfish, #argentiniandeepseeps, 3804 m
February 9, 2026 at 7:28 PM
“Like a firefly in the middle of a field
filled with noise,
its shining, latent light within,
a tiny bell, small and soundless.
I fade away so that you may lose yourself.
I fold myself into my wings.”
Poem by Pedro Serrano, trans. by Don Cellini.
Psychedelic jellyfish, #argentiniandeepseeps, 3804 m
filled with noise,
its shining, latent light within,
a tiny bell, small and soundless.
I fade away so that you may lose yourself.
I fold myself into my wings.”
Poem by Pedro Serrano, trans. by Don Cellini.
Psychedelic jellyfish, #argentiniandeepseeps, 3804 m
Riding High!
During the #ArgentinianDeepSeeps expedition, ROV pilots captured footage of a tiny animal, likely a crustacean, riding a jellyfish like a surfboard. Jellyfish = protection w/their stinging tentacles & access to food while traveling & “shooting the curl” (as surfers would say).
During the #ArgentinianDeepSeeps expedition, ROV pilots captured footage of a tiny animal, likely a crustacean, riding a jellyfish like a surfboard. Jellyfish = protection w/their stinging tentacles & access to food while traveling & “shooting the curl” (as surfers would say).
February 5, 2026 at 9:16 PM
Riding High!
During the #ArgentinianDeepSeeps expedition, ROV pilots captured footage of a tiny animal, likely a crustacean, riding a jellyfish like a surfboard. Jellyfish = protection w/their stinging tentacles & access to food while traveling & “shooting the curl” (as surfers would say).
During the #ArgentinianDeepSeeps expedition, ROV pilots captured footage of a tiny animal, likely a crustacean, riding a jellyfish like a surfboard. Jellyfish = protection w/their stinging tentacles & access to food while traveling & “shooting the curl” (as surfers would say).
Our first #OBVI #LivingBioreactors expedition video is out! Discover how the science team is studying the gut microbiomes of vertically migrating animals and how these microbiomes affect carbon storage in the deep sea, with support from @schmidtsciences.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmej...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmej...
Welcome to the Midwater! | Animals as Living Bioreactors PART 1
YouTube video by Schmidt Ocean
www.youtube.com
February 3, 2026 at 6:58 PM
Our first #OBVI #LivingBioreactors expedition video is out! Discover how the science team is studying the gut microbiomes of vertically migrating animals and how these microbiomes affect carbon storage in the deep sea, with support from @schmidtsciences.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmej...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmej...
Skeleton shrimp: superior snackers
This amphipod in the family Caprellidae, has feather-like setae line several of their 18 appendages for collecting food — amphipod translates to “feet on all sides” in Greek.
#argentiniandeepseeps ~1200 meters
This amphipod in the family Caprellidae, has feather-like setae line several of their 18 appendages for collecting food — amphipod translates to “feet on all sides” in Greek.
#argentiniandeepseeps ~1200 meters
February 2, 2026 at 6:01 PM
Skeleton shrimp: superior snackers
This amphipod in the family Caprellidae, has feather-like setae line several of their 18 appendages for collecting food — amphipod translates to “feet on all sides” in Greek.
#argentiniandeepseeps ~1200 meters
This amphipod in the family Caprellidae, has feather-like setae line several of their 18 appendages for collecting food — amphipod translates to “feet on all sides” in Greek.
#argentiniandeepseeps ~1200 meters
A fishy escape fr #ArgentinianDeepSeeps
"The question, O me! so sad, recurring — What good amid these, O me, O
life?
Answer.
That you are here — that life exists, and identity;
That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse." - Walt Whitman
"The question, O me! so sad, recurring — What good amid these, O me, O
life?
Answer.
That you are here — that life exists, and identity;
That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse." - Walt Whitman
January 29, 2026 at 4:22 PM
A fishy escape fr #ArgentinianDeepSeeps
"The question, O me! so sad, recurring — What good amid these, O me, O
life?
Answer.
That you are here — that life exists, and identity;
That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse." - Walt Whitman
"The question, O me! so sad, recurring — What good amid these, O me, O
life?
Answer.
That you are here — that life exists, and identity;
That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse." - Walt Whitman
Sampling among the stars!
During the #Taleof2Canyons expedition, curious fish nibbled on sediments as ROV SuBastian pilots collected push core samples from a seafloor lined with brittle stars.
During the #Taleof2Canyons expedition, curious fish nibbled on sediments as ROV SuBastian pilots collected push core samples from a seafloor lined with brittle stars.
January 28, 2026 at 11:48 PM
Sampling among the stars!
During the #Taleof2Canyons expedition, curious fish nibbled on sediments as ROV SuBastian pilots collected push core samples from a seafloor lined with brittle stars.
During the #Taleof2Canyons expedition, curious fish nibbled on sediments as ROV SuBastian pilots collected push core samples from a seafloor lined with brittle stars.
Animals as Living Bioreactors expedition is underway! W/ @schmidtsciences.bsky.social, scientists are eager to learn more about the role of midwater animals, like this gossamer worm, in carbon transport. Read more & subscribe to our YouTube for ROV dive updates here: youtube.com/post/Ugkx_Vw...
January 27, 2026 at 2:35 PM
Animals as Living Bioreactors expedition is underway! W/ @schmidtsciences.bsky.social, scientists are eager to learn more about the role of midwater animals, like this gossamer worm, in carbon transport. Read more & subscribe to our YouTube for ROV dive updates here: youtube.com/post/Ugkx_Vw...
Multiple Choice Monday
Why is this tiny fish not the octopus’s next tasty snack?
a. This tiny fish tastes funny.
b. Sleepy cephalopod, will eat later.
c. Sated cephalopod, still digesting last tasty fish.
d. Write in answers: correct & incorrect ones will be enjoyed equally.
Why is this tiny fish not the octopus’s next tasty snack?
a. This tiny fish tastes funny.
b. Sleepy cephalopod, will eat later.
c. Sated cephalopod, still digesting last tasty fish.
d. Write in answers: correct & incorrect ones will be enjoyed equally.
January 26, 2026 at 8:21 PM
Multiple Choice Monday
Why is this tiny fish not the octopus’s next tasty snack?
a. This tiny fish tastes funny.
b. Sleepy cephalopod, will eat later.
c. Sated cephalopod, still digesting last tasty fish.
d. Write in answers: correct & incorrect ones will be enjoyed equally.
Why is this tiny fish not the octopus’s next tasty snack?
a. This tiny fish tastes funny.
b. Sleepy cephalopod, will eat later.
c. Sated cephalopod, still digesting last tasty fish.
d. Write in answers: correct & incorrect ones will be enjoyed equally.
Thanks to the dedicated and tireless work of our crew on board R/V Falkor (too) supporting a worldwide array of researchers and scientists — we’re working daily to boldly explore our unknown ocean, every day! #OceanExplorationDay Read more: www.linkedin.com/posts/schmid...
January 23, 2026 at 10:12 PM
Thanks to the dedicated and tireless work of our crew on board R/V Falkor (too) supporting a worldwide array of researchers and scientists — we’re working daily to boldly explore our unknown ocean, every day! #OceanExplorationDay Read more: www.linkedin.com/posts/schmid...
Two skate passing in the dark.
Between 200 and 145 million years ago, during the Jurassic period, these cartilaginous fish emerged — part of the class Chondrichthyes, which also includes sharks, stingrays, and chimaeras. ROV pilots filmed these at skate 432 meters during #ArgentinianDeepSeeps
Between 200 and 145 million years ago, during the Jurassic period, these cartilaginous fish emerged — part of the class Chondrichthyes, which also includes sharks, stingrays, and chimaeras. ROV pilots filmed these at skate 432 meters during #ArgentinianDeepSeeps
January 22, 2026 at 9:43 PM
Two skate passing in the dark.
Between 200 and 145 million years ago, during the Jurassic period, these cartilaginous fish emerged — part of the class Chondrichthyes, which also includes sharks, stingrays, and chimaeras. ROV pilots filmed these at skate 432 meters during #ArgentinianDeepSeeps
Between 200 and 145 million years ago, during the Jurassic period, these cartilaginous fish emerged — part of the class Chondrichthyes, which also includes sharks, stingrays, and chimaeras. ROV pilots filmed these at skate 432 meters during #ArgentinianDeepSeeps
Our final expedition video for #ArgentinianDeepSeeps expedition is out. During this successful bubble-hunting expedition, scientists not only found the bubbles but also myriad animals associated w/seeps: everything from giant coral reefs to gardens of sea pens.
youtu.be/09uSPqhm58I?...
youtu.be/09uSPqhm58I?...
Connection to the Sea | Life in Extremes — Cold Seeps of Argentina
YouTube video by Schmidt Ocean
youtu.be
January 20, 2026 at 11:01 PM
Our final expedition video for #ArgentinianDeepSeeps expedition is out. During this successful bubble-hunting expedition, scientists not only found the bubbles but also myriad animals associated w/seeps: everything from giant coral reefs to gardens of sea pens.
youtu.be/09uSPqhm58I?...
youtu.be/09uSPqhm58I?...
Float like a glass squid.
What might it feel like to reach a state where your body’s density perfectly matches your surroundings? Their buoyant bodies are filled with ammonium chloride, which is lighter than seawater, helping them to conserve energy while traveling. 1,729 m #ArgentinianDeepSeeps
What might it feel like to reach a state where your body’s density perfectly matches your surroundings? Their buoyant bodies are filled with ammonium chloride, which is lighter than seawater, helping them to conserve energy while traveling. 1,729 m #ArgentinianDeepSeeps
January 16, 2026 at 6:48 PM
Float like a glass squid.
What might it feel like to reach a state where your body’s density perfectly matches your surroundings? Their buoyant bodies are filled with ammonium chloride, which is lighter than seawater, helping them to conserve energy while traveling. 1,729 m #ArgentinianDeepSeeps
What might it feel like to reach a state where your body’s density perfectly matches your surroundings? Their buoyant bodies are filled with ammonium chloride, which is lighter than seawater, helping them to conserve energy while traveling. 1,729 m #ArgentinianDeepSeeps
Reposted by Schmidt Ocean Institute
Threats to funding and freedom in art and science belie the deep connections between the two seemingly disparate disciplines, and their combined power to address our most pressing problems. Read my op-ed: www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/01/14/a... @schmidtocean.bsky.social @schmidtsciences.bsky.social
January 15, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Threats to funding and freedom in art and science belie the deep connections between the two seemingly disparate disciplines, and their combined power to address our most pressing problems. Read my op-ed: www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/01/14/a... @schmidtocean.bsky.social @schmidtsciences.bsky.social
A bustling seafloor scene from the #taleof2canyons expedition: “We studied how these canyons can facilitate such incredible biodiversity,” said Chief Scientist Dr. Silvia Ines Romero. “What are the mechanisms — the currents and the chemistry — that support all of this life?”
January 15, 2026 at 5:29 PM
A bustling seafloor scene from the #taleof2canyons expedition: “We studied how these canyons can facilitate such incredible biodiversity,” said Chief Scientist Dr. Silvia Ines Romero. “What are the mechanisms — the currents and the chemistry — that support all of this life?”
In 2026, we'll journey across the SW Atlantic Ocean. Fr deep waters off Brazil to seamounts in the Mid-Atlantic, we'll help document biodiversity, study physical, chemical, geological phenomena & map seafloor features. schmidtocean.org/cruises/schm...
2026 Research Expeditions on R/V Falkor (too)
2026 Research Expeditions on R/V Falkor (too)
schmidtocean.org
January 15, 2026 at 5:28 PM
In 2026, we'll journey across the SW Atlantic Ocean. Fr deep waters off Brazil to seamounts in the Mid-Atlantic, we'll help document biodiversity, study physical, chemical, geological phenomena & map seafloor features. schmidtocean.org/cruises/schm...
The #ArgentinianDeepSeeps team completed 1st comprehensive study of Argentina’s cold seeps. Their goal: to understand how the animal communities live and interact with localized physical, geological, and chemical conditions as well as with surrounding deep-sea ecosystems.
youtu.be/KvJewhMvrIQ?...
youtu.be/KvJewhMvrIQ?...
Life in Extremes — Cold Seeps of Argentina | 4K ROV Highlights
YouTube video by Schmidt Ocean
youtu.be
January 13, 2026 at 5:26 PM
The #ArgentinianDeepSeeps team completed 1st comprehensive study of Argentina’s cold seeps. Their goal: to understand how the animal communities live and interact with localized physical, geological, and chemical conditions as well as with surrounding deep-sea ecosystems.
youtu.be/KvJewhMvrIQ?...
youtu.be/KvJewhMvrIQ?...
Take a slow ride . . . by snail!
Read the full post about this example of mutualistic symbiosis and the #ArgentinianDeepSeeps expedition here: www.instagram.com/reel/DTTbCSp...
Read the full post about this example of mutualistic symbiosis and the #ArgentinianDeepSeeps expedition here: www.instagram.com/reel/DTTbCSp...
January 9, 2026 at 9:03 PM
Take a slow ride . . . by snail!
Read the full post about this example of mutualistic symbiosis and the #ArgentinianDeepSeeps expedition here: www.instagram.com/reel/DTTbCSp...
Read the full post about this example of mutualistic symbiosis and the #ArgentinianDeepSeeps expedition here: www.instagram.com/reel/DTTbCSp...
Sea squirts & squid!
ROV pilots filmed these salps and spectacular squid during the #SouthSandwichIslands expedition with @oceancensus.bsky.social in early 2025. Salps, also known as sea squirts, are ubiquitous throughout the Ocean, and abundant in the Southern Ocean.
ROV pilots filmed these salps and spectacular squid during the #SouthSandwichIslands expedition with @oceancensus.bsky.social in early 2025. Salps, also known as sea squirts, are ubiquitous throughout the Ocean, and abundant in the Southern Ocean.
January 7, 2026 at 11:38 PM
Sea squirts & squid!
ROV pilots filmed these salps and spectacular squid during the #SouthSandwichIslands expedition with @oceancensus.bsky.social in early 2025. Salps, also known as sea squirts, are ubiquitous throughout the Ocean, and abundant in the Southern Ocean.
ROV pilots filmed these salps and spectacular squid during the #SouthSandwichIslands expedition with @oceancensus.bsky.social in early 2025. Salps, also known as sea squirts, are ubiquitous throughout the Ocean, and abundant in the Southern Ocean.
Benthic ctenophores clinging to tunicates attached to a submarine canyon wall ~1.75 miles deep, during #ArgentinianDeepSeeps. Platyctenida have colloblasts, or sticky cells that release a mucus-like glue when they unspool extra-long tentacles into the water column and fish for their next meal.
January 6, 2026 at 11:50 PM
Benthic ctenophores clinging to tunicates attached to a submarine canyon wall ~1.75 miles deep, during #ArgentinianDeepSeeps. Platyctenida have colloblasts, or sticky cells that release a mucus-like glue when they unspool extra-long tentacles into the water column and fish for their next meal.