10.
Um El Faroud Wreck
Built in England in 1969, the Um El Faroud was an oil tanker that carried fuel between
Italy and Libya.
Its seafaring career came to a swift end on the night of February 3, 1995.
While docked in Malta, one of the ship’s tanks exploded, killing 9 shipyard workers.
The 377-foot-long (115 meters) vessel was so badly damaged from the incident that inspectors
chose to write it off as a total loss.
For the next three years, the Um El Faroud remained docked in the harbor off the Maltese
capital of Valletta.
Finally, in 1998, it was decided that the defunct ship would be best put to use as an
artificial reef for marine life.
She was towed out to sea and scuttled in the waters off the village of Wied il-Qrendi.
The site became popular among divers and remains so today, even after a storm ripped the vessel
in two during the winter of 2005-2006.
9.
Pink Pygmy Pipehorse
When divers first came across a small pink creature in the waters off New Zealand in
2011, they believed that they had encountered a rare, but known seahorse.
But when a photo of the distinctively-hued animal appeared on social media in 2017, it
caught the eye of a biodiversity scientist from California named Graham Short, who suspected
that it was a new species.
He teamed up with Dr. Thomas Trnski from the Auckland Museum to identify the tiny, 2.4-inch-long
(6 cm) marine creature.
They determined that it represented a new genus and species of pipehorse, which are
closely related to seahorses.
It’s the first new pipehorse genus to be discovered in New Zealand in 100 years.
In what’s believed to be the first time an indigenous group named a new species, the
scientists worked with a local Maori tribe to give the animal its formal name Cylix tupareomanaia.
The genus name, Cylix, is derived from the Greek and Latin term for “cup” or “chalice”
and was chosen because of the cup-like crest on the creature’s head.
The term “tupareomanaia” means “the garland of the manaia.”
It’s a combination of the Maori word for seahorse – “manaia” – and “tupuna,”
which means “ancestor.”
Speaking with the press about the species’ indigenous-inspired name, Dr. Trnski said
“It is overdue recognition of traditional knowledge that can contribute to the discovery
of new species.”
A tiny pink seahorse, and recognition and respect for the Maori people?
This discovery is a win/win.
8.
Long-Missing Wedding Ring
During a recent brutal heatwave, an Australian teenager named Georgia Morris decided to go
snorkeling for some relief from the stifling weather.
She was having such a nice time cooling off, she decided to stay in the water even after
the rest of her group headed for dry land.
While exploring the waters off Redgate Beach a few miles south of Perth, the 14-year-old
encountered a pair of rocks with what appeared to be a pocket of sand between them.
At first she swam away, but she felt as if the current was pulling her back toward the
rocks.
It was there that Georgia found a wedding band half-buried on the seabed, which she
initially wrote off as a piece of rubbish.
But she took a few extra seconds to examine the object up-close and realized that it might
be of immense sentimental value to someone.
Luckily, there was an inscription and a date on the ring, which made it possible to find
the owner.
Georgia and her mother posted a photo of the jewelry to a community Facebook page, and
it wasn’t long before it captured the attention of Mark Dittmar.
He had lost a ring 18 years earlier in the exact location where Georgia found it.
Dittmar and his wife, Keryn, confirmed that the ring was theirs by providing the date
of the inscription, which Georgia and her mother had left out of the post as a way to
test the truthfulness of anyone who came forward.
Keryn told local papers that she was pregnant with the couple’s son, who is now 19 years
old, when Mark lost his ring trying to catch a fish with his bare hands.
The Dittmars tried to find the wedding band, but ultimately resolved to just buy another
ring – which he also lost.
Thankfully, his wife had a sense of humor about his forgetful tendencies, and both she
and Mark were grateful that Georgia had found the long-missing jewelry.
And even after spending nearly two decades in the ocean, it was in near-perfect condition.
7.
The Lost Temple of Hercules Gaditanus
Earlier this year, archaeologists near Cádiz, Spain announced that they may have discovered
an ancient pilgrimage site called the Temple of Hercules Gaditanus.
Famous historical figures such as Julius Caesar and Hannibal reportedly visited the site,
which dates back to the 8th century BC and is being hailed as a “holy grail” of artifacts.
The temple is submerged in a small channel called the Caño de Sancti Petri.
Archaeology graduate student Ricardo Belizón was the first to detect the site while examining
images that were taken using remote sensing technology called LiDAR, which enables experts
to see hidden and buried objects.
He noticed a 1,000-foot-long (305 meters), 500-foot-wide (152.4 meters) structure near
the shore which matched the description of the “lost” temple.
The team has been unable to excavate the underwater ruins because of the marshy environment’s
shifting water levels, but they’re making plans to do so.
These challenging conditions fall in line with the historical description of the temple,
which may have been built by the Phoenicians.
Ancient texts about Hannibal’s and Julius Caesar’s visits describe the site as “a
changing environment, in contact with the sea, subject to the changing tides.”
Not all experts believe that the structure is the mythical temple of Hercules.
Archaeology professor Antonio Monterroso-Checa, who authored a study in 2020 claiming that
the temple is in another location, stands by his findings and attributes the new research
to a “triangulation error” with “no reality at all.”
For now, the claims in both studies remain unproven.
6.
World’s Largest Fish Breeding Ground
Antarctica is a place that we think of as being largely devoid of life.
Yet this is where scientists recently discovered the world’s largest fish breeding ground.
Researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany have been exploring the Weddell
Sea since the early 1980s, but until this year, they had only seen small clusters of
nests.
While performing routine observations using an underwater camera, they unintentionally
encountered a 92-square-mile (238 km2) breeding ground filled with 60 million icefish nests.
Each nest contains as many as 2,500 eggs.
The breeding ground is in a part of the sea that’s known to experience upwelling, which
is when cold water rises to the surface, while warmer waters stay near the seafloor.
In addition to icefish, Weddell seals are also commonly found in this area and may be
dining on the fish.
Scientists are unsure whether the upwelling plays a role in attracting the icefish or
seals to the region, or if it’s just a coincidence.
They are citing the discovery of the breeding ground as an example of why Antarctic waters
are in dire need of protection from human activity.
There’s a proposed policy to create a Marine Protected Area in the Weddell Sea that would
restrict fishing and invasive research, but it has yet to be passed by the Southern Ocean
Conservation Body.
The council of nations that make up this organization have been squabbling for years over conservation
measures, but are still struggling to come to an agreement.
Without protection, one of the last remaining places on Earth that remains largely untouched
by people will remain at risk of being destroyed by us.
What do you think?
Should this area be protected, or should fishing and research be allowed without restrictions?
Tell us in the comments and make sure to subscribe to the channel while you do!
5.
Ancient Ships Full of Wine
In mid-2021, scientists announced the discovery of an ancient Roman ship off the Palermo,
Sicily coast in the Mediterranean Sea.
Dating back to the 2nd century BC, the vessel sits over 300 feet (92 meters) beneath the
waves near the town of Isola delle Femmine, which sits along the island’s northwestern
shore.
Using a submarine robot, the team noticed that the ship was carrying a huge load of
wine jars, or amphorae.
The discovery came just weeks after another group of researchers found another ancient
wreck off the island of Ustica, which is located north of Sicily.
It rests at a depth of around 230 feet (70 meters) and was also found to contain a copious
amount of wine.
These are just two of many Roman shipwrecks that have been discovered throughout the Mediterranean.
In recent years, the Italian authorities have stepped up their fight against the black market,
which recovers hundreds of stolen amphorae from people’s homes every year.
It’s important to prevent valuable artifacts from falling into shady hands in the first
place whenever possible, because moving an object from where it was found takes away
the opportunity for experts to study it in its proper context.
By investigating the newly discovered wrecks and their cargo firsthand, researchers can
learn more about ancient trade in the Mediterranean, where the Romans exchanged wine, olives, and
other products with merchants in North Africa, Spain, France, and the Middle East.
4.
Magical Microbes
Oxygen is essential to nearly all life forms on Earth, and until very recently, it was
our understanding that sunlight is needed to produce oxygen.
But scientists have discovered deep-dwelling microbes that can survive in dark environments
where sunlight is absent by making their own oxygen.
Known as ammonia oxidizing archaea, these microbes are commonly found throughout the
world’s oceans, and at all depths.
And they undergo a biological process that has never been seen in any other organism.
Researchers discovered this while trying to figure out how they survive as long as they
do in a nearly oxygen-free environment.
It was especially puzzling because, as microbiologist Beate Kraft pointed out, the microbes play
an important role in the nitrogen cycle, which requires oxygen.
The team observed the microscopic organisms in a lab and found that when they move from
oxygen-rich to oxygen-depleted waters, they produce oxygen to create nitrite, with nitrogen
gas as a byproduct.
Within minutes of using up all the oxygen in their environment, oxygen levels started
to increase again, according to geobiologist Don Canfield.
While scientists are now aware of this mysterious biological process, they still don’t know
exactly how it works.
It appears as though the microbes only produce enough oxygen for their own survival, but
it’s still a landmark discovery in a world where producing oxygen without sunlight is
extremely rare.
Could there be other uses for this kind of discovery in the future?
Tell us your theories in the comments!
3.
An Extinct Fish
The longhead darter is a small fish that reaches 4-and-a-half to 5 inches (11.4-12.7 cm) long.
Scientists don’t know much about this uncommon species, which is considered threatened throughout
the entirety of its range.
According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the fish’s
need for clear water and gravel and boulder bottoms restricts it to a limited number of
environments and may contribute to its low numbers.
There are populations in New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee,
North Carolina – and, now, Ohio.
Until recently, the longhead darter was thought to be extirpated, or locally extinct, in the
state.
In early January, the Ohio Division of Wildlife, announced that fish management crews had captured
two specimens during a bass survey in the Ohio River.
They were the first longhead darters to be caught since 1939, over 80 years ago.
While the rediscovery of the species in Ohio is good news, it doesn’t take away from
the fact that the longhead darter is threatened.
It’s important for wildlife agencies to continue assessing and monitoring populations
so that they can take any conservation measures necessary.
2.
Crusader’s Sword
While exploring the waters off Israel’s Carmel coast last year, an amateur scuba diver
named Shlomi Katzin discovered a collection of ancient artifacts including anchors, pottery
fragments, and a 900-year-old sword that may have belonged to a Crusader knight.
Archaeologists with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) described the nearly 3-foot-long
(1 meter) iron blade as a “beautiful and rare find.”
It was used sometime during the Crusader period, which lasted from 1095 to 1291.
The anchors that Katzin discovered date back 4,000 years to the Late Bronze Age.
These fascinating finds mark the latest of several recent discoveries of ancient artifacts
in the region, which has natural coves that functioned as a refuge for merchant ships
during storms.
Many of these vessels left behind historically valuable items that are just now being found,
thanks to waves and shifting undercurrents moving the sand along the seafloor.
IAA Marine Archaeology Unit director Kobi Sharvit told National Public Radio (NPR) that
even small storms can shift sands, revealing certain parts of the seabed while burying
others.
Ancient objects are also surfacing more often because leisure diving is on the rise.
Sharvit emphasized the importance of leaving any discoveries in place and reporting them
to authorities, so that they can be documented properly.
Katzin received a “certificate of appreciation of good citizenship” for alerting the IAA
to the sword, which will go on public display after it’s been cleaned and restored.
1.
Strip Club
In 2013, a marine biologist named Gil Koplovitz published photos he took of a forgotten underwater
club that he discovered while researching off the Israeli coast.
Located in Eilat, the venue was originally a submerged restaurant called the Red Sea
Star that was later repurposed as an erotic dancing establishment – in other words,
a strip club – called Nyphas Show Bar.
The building’s entrance is above water.
It took visitors across a 230-foot (70 meters) bridge and down a flight of stairs.
Speaking with the Huffington Post, Koplovitz said he was unsure when the business shuttered
its doors.
He snapped photos of the interior through the rusting venue’s glass windows, showing
a stripper pole that functioned as a centerpiece and was once surrounded by tables and chairs
that had since been removed.
Curiously, there’s not much information on the internet about the shuttered strip
club other than the details Koplovitz offered after conducting his own investigation into
the establishment.
But it’s probably fair to assume that it was the only underwater strip club to ever
exist.
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