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Ocean research: The lab at the bottom of the sea

Nature volume 457, pages 141–143 (2009)Cite this article

The best way to study life beneath the waves is to live there. Mark Schrope describes his experiences in the world's longest-running undersea laboratory.

It is night on Conch Reef in the Florida Keys, and Niels Lindquist is running a thin green plane of laser light through a lone sponge. The psychedelic display captures the attention of a rather large, green moray eel. As Lindquist watches, the eel inspects the laser light, decides it doesn't approve and finds another way around, swimming right down the side of Lindquist's leg. It is only when the eel has vanished into the night that Lindquist notices that his dive buddy has risen to a safe distance with the wariness most divers accord such beasts. Lindquist, though, had been completely at ease.

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Authors
  1. Mark Schrope
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Additional information

Mark Schrope is a writer in Melbourne, Florida.

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Schrope, M. Ocean research: The lab at the bottom of the sea. Nature 457, 141–143 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/457141a

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