Eastern oysters (_Crassostrea virginica_) cement their shells together to form reefs along Atlantic coasts. Credit: Johnny Andrews/UNC-Chapel Hill

Industrial chemicals, such as flame retardants and plasticizers, have been detected in areas of the ocean once considered pristine, such as the Mergui Archipelago off Myanmar, new research reports. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Landsat 5

The asteroid Ryugu is seen by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft from a distance of 6 kilometers. Credit: JAXA, University of Tokyo, Kochi University, Rikkyo University, Nagoya University, Chiba Institute of Technology, Meiji University, University of Aizu, AIST

The R/V _David Packard_ sails in the Santa Barbara Basin offshore California during a research cruise in October 2025. Credit: Josh Plant, MBARI