"The By-the-Wind Sailor, Velella" by Gregory Rouse

Velella are floating colonies of hydroid polyps that often wash ashore in summer

As part of their research on the biodiversity of marine invertebrates, researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography collect and sequence the DNA of many local San Diego species. This Velella specimen was collected off the San Diego coast, and its DNA was sequenced for a “barcoding” gene. The specimen was then deposited into the Scripps Oceanographic Collections, repositories for marine organisms and geological samples.

While many pelagic species have been thought to have cosmopolitan distributions, DNA analysis and morphological assessment suggest otherwise. Established by Walter Fewkes in 1889 for specimens from California, the long-disregarded and reinstated scientific name for this species is Velella meridionalis.

Gregory Rouse is a faculty member at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, Marine Biology Research Division.

"More Than Just Coral Glow" by Or Ben-Zvi

Coral fluorescence is stunning, but it also holds important information about the coral’s physiology

Coral reefs are degrading worldwide. Monitoring their health includes assessing the photosynthesis performed by microalgae (<10 µ) residing in the coral tissue. However, observing marine photosynthesis at this scale is challenging. To address this, researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography developed an underwater microscope for fluorescence imaging-based evaluation of photosynthetic efficiency in corals.

Or Ben-Zvi is a postdoctoral researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, Jaffe Laboratory for Underwater Imaging and Smith Lab.

"Intertidal Constellation" by Ethan G. Staats

Three stunningly green-fluorescent sea anemone species cohabitate in a Central California tidepool

The three sea anemone species captured in this photo naturally produce Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) for unknown reasons. The Deheyn Lab at Scripps Institution of Oceanography studies GFPs and their possible functions, as related in a series of publications. The green spots in the center are fluorescent sea anemones and the red background area is photosynthetic algal fluorescence. Waves are crashing in the middle, and Los Angeles, to the south, illuminates the left horizon.

Ethan G. Staats is a graduate student at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, Deheyn Lab.

"12-Day-Old Fluorescent Sea Urchin Larva" by Svenja C. Kling, Elliot Jackson, and Emilio Romero

Fluorescent sea urchins open up new possibilities for studying genes in embryonic development and beyond

For the first time, researchers have created fluorescent sea urchins that can be grown in the lab from eggs to adults. Each blue dot in this larva is the nucleus of a cell, marked by the gene H2B and tagged with the fluorescent protein mCerulean. The red pattern is a membrane dye. Fluorescent lines allow researchers to observe how genes change in a living animal more efficiently.

Svenja C. Kling is a graduate student at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, Hamdoun Lab.

Contributors: Elliot Jackson and Emilio Romero

"Hansbreen Glacier" by Dale Stokes and International Partnership for Acoustic Monitoring of Glaciers

Our warming earth

This ice cave beneath the Hansbreen glacier at Spitsbergen, Svalbard in Norway is in an area actively researched by Scripps Institution of Oceanography scientists. They are part of the International Partnership for Acoustic Monitoring of Glaciers (IPAOMG), an international group of researchers working to understand glacier melt processes through the use of underwater sound.

Dale Stokes is a faculty member at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.

"Walking Through Windows" by Sakina Lemieux

Brain cells are surrounded by a heterogeneous and dynamic structure called the extracellular matrix

This hand-painted image, created with watercolor and gouache, is based on data from a high-resolution microscope. It shows a fluorescently-labeled extracellular matrix (ECM) in a mouse brain, highlighting how it surrounds nerve cell bodies (neuronal soma), their processes (axons and dendrites), connections, and support cells (glia). In areas where the ECM breaks down at strengthened synapses, “windows” emerge, allowing stronger connections between brain cells to form and stabilize. These stronger connections are crucial for brain health and memory. Understanding how this process works could lead to advancements in improving brain health in humans.

Sakina Lemieux is a postdoctoral researcher at the UC San Diego Department of Neurosciences.

"Living Materials Made With Algae Glow Under Stress" by Chenghai Li and Shengqiang Cai

Soft and durable 3D-printed living materials that glow in response to mechanical stress

Did you know you can discover the magic of nature's glow through innovative research? UC San Diego researchers have developed soft, touch-responsive living materials inspired by bioluminescent waves that illuminate under forces without the use of electricity. Researchers also explored how they sense pressure, revolutionize robotics and enhance healthcare.

Chenghai Li is a PhD student and Shengqiang Cai is a doctoral advisor in the UC San Diego Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, CAI Research Group.