Erin Spencer, PhD
@etspencer.bsky.social
Marine ecologist, science writer, lover of all things weird in the ocean.
Currently: Comms around mesophotic & deep restoration in the Gulf.
Order The Incredible Octopus now: https://tinyurl.com/66s9xj2p
Currently: Comms around mesophotic & deep restoration in the Gulf.
Order The Incredible Octopus now: https://tinyurl.com/66s9xj2p
New study quantifies the impacts of mining on deep sea organisms. Researchers found:
🪱number of organisms decreased by 37% in mining tracks
⚖️number of species decreased by 32% in mining tracks, making the remaining community more unbalanced
Read the paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🌊🦑🧪
🪱number of organisms decreased by 37% in mining tracks
⚖️number of species decreased by 32% in mining tracks, making the remaining community more unbalanced
Read the paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🌊🦑🧪
Impacts of an industrial deep-sea mining trial on macrofaunal biodiversity - Nature Ecology & Evolution
A species-level dataset of sediment-dwelling macrofauna, sampled 2 years before and 2 months after a test of a commercial deep-sea mining machine, reveals losses of macrofaunal density and species ric...
www.nature.com
February 5, 2026 at 3:08 PM
New study quantifies the impacts of mining on deep sea organisms. Researchers found:
🪱number of organisms decreased by 37% in mining tracks
⚖️number of species decreased by 32% in mining tracks, making the remaining community more unbalanced
Read the paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🌊🦑🧪
🪱number of organisms decreased by 37% in mining tracks
⚖️number of species decreased by 32% in mining tracks, making the remaining community more unbalanced
Read the paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🌊🦑🧪
Reposted by Erin Spencer, PhD
What can you do to helpt turn climate change around? 🌱 Use GIS! 🌐
Register for our free course and learn how. We'll provide all the data and software you need: ow.ly/r4lf50Y6zUz
#gischat #geogsky #geosky 🧪 🦑 ⚒️ 🌊 🌎 🌍 🌏
Register for our free course and learn how. We'll provide all the data and software you need: ow.ly/r4lf50Y6zUz
#gischat #geogsky #geosky 🧪 🦑 ⚒️ 🌊 🌎 🌍 🌏
February 2, 2026 at 11:58 PM
What can you do to helpt turn climate change around? 🌱 Use GIS! 🌐
Register for our free course and learn how. We'll provide all the data and software you need: ow.ly/r4lf50Y6zUz
#gischat #geogsky #geosky 🧪 🦑 ⚒️ 🌊 🌎 🌍 🌏
Register for our free course and learn how. We'll provide all the data and software you need: ow.ly/r4lf50Y6zUz
#gischat #geogsky #geosky 🧪 🦑 ⚒️ 🌊 🌎 🌍 🌏
Reposted by Erin Spencer, PhD
Mondays are better with an octopus squid 🦑💫
The octopus squid (Octopoteuthis deletron) is unusual among squids. Most squids have eight arms and two long tentacles, making a total of 10 appendages. As young Octopoteuthis mature, their two feeding tentacles are reabsorbed into their bodies.
The octopus squid (Octopoteuthis deletron) is unusual among squids. Most squids have eight arms and two long tentacles, making a total of 10 appendages. As young Octopoteuthis mature, their two feeding tentacles are reabsorbed into their bodies.
February 2, 2026 at 5:49 PM
Mondays are better with an octopus squid 🦑💫
The octopus squid (Octopoteuthis deletron) is unusual among squids. Most squids have eight arms and two long tentacles, making a total of 10 appendages. As young Octopoteuthis mature, their two feeding tentacles are reabsorbed into their bodies.
The octopus squid (Octopoteuthis deletron) is unusual among squids. Most squids have eight arms and two long tentacles, making a total of 10 appendages. As young Octopoteuthis mature, their two feeding tentacles are reabsorbed into their bodies.
This is so unnerving. "For more than a century, scientific journals have been the pipes through which knowledge of the natural world flows into our culture. Now they’re being clogged with AI slop." 🧪
www.theatlantic.com/science/2026...
www.theatlantic.com/science/2026...
Science Is Drowning in AI Slop
Peer review has met its match.
www.theatlantic.com
January 24, 2026 at 12:00 AM
This is so unnerving. "For more than a century, scientific journals have been the pipes through which knowledge of the natural world flows into our culture. Now they’re being clogged with AI slop." 🧪
www.theatlantic.com/science/2026...
www.theatlantic.com/science/2026...
Fun new paper documenting deep-sea fishes off Puerto Rico. The paper documents some interesting observations, including how diversity changes with depth & even how cusk eels are an important but understudied part of abyssal & hadal communities. 🦑🐟🌊
Read it here: academic.oup.com/icesjms/arti...
Read it here: academic.oup.com/icesjms/arti...
January 22, 2026 at 1:39 PM
Fun new paper documenting deep-sea fishes off Puerto Rico. The paper documents some interesting observations, including how diversity changes with depth & even how cusk eels are an important but understudied part of abyssal & hadal communities. 🦑🐟🌊
Read it here: academic.oup.com/icesjms/arti...
Read it here: academic.oup.com/icesjms/arti...
Catching up on my @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive watching and WOW this habitat is stunning. This is from the Malvinas Trench during the Argentinian Deep Seeps expedition. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWEt... 🦑🌊🧪
January 12, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Catching up on my @schmidtocean.bsky.social dive watching and WOW this habitat is stunning. This is from the Malvinas Trench during the Argentinian Deep Seeps expedition. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWEt... 🦑🌊🧪
Reposted by Erin Spencer, PhD
Finally out! We studied the retinas of the longest-living vertebrate, the Greenland shark, and found that the retinas remain remarkably healthy in animals around 150 years old. What is the mechanism? It may be a highly efficient DNA repair system. Enjoy!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
January 6, 2026 at 1:40 AM
Finally out! We studied the retinas of the longest-living vertebrate, the Greenland shark, and found that the retinas remain remarkably healthy in animals around 150 years old. What is the mechanism? It may be a highly efficient DNA repair system. Enjoy!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
I love being a biologist, becuase it means at any moment your Instagram stories will have someone's beach pic followed by a photo of a half-digested vole extracted from roadkill as part of a diet study. Incredible, no notes.🧪🌍
January 9, 2026 at 3:28 PM
I love being a biologist, becuase it means at any moment your Instagram stories will have someone's beach pic followed by a photo of a half-digested vole extracted from roadkill as part of a diet study. Incredible, no notes.🧪🌍
Happening now on the @schmidtocean.bsky.social livestream! www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCEB... 🦑🌊🧪🐟
December 16, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Happening now on the @schmidtocean.bsky.social livestream! www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCEB... 🦑🌊🧪🐟
A little bright spot for your day -- @deepstewardship.bsky.social has a collection of incredible deep sea photos collected from partners around the world. Here are a few, and see them all here: www.flickr.com/people/19477...
🦑🐟🌊🧪
🦑🐟🌊🧪
December 12, 2025 at 4:29 PM
A little bright spot for your day -- @deepstewardship.bsky.social has a collection of incredible deep sea photos collected from partners around the world. Here are a few, and see them all here: www.flickr.com/people/19477...
🦑🐟🌊🧪
🦑🐟🌊🧪
Very cool new paper: Scientists observed a whiplash squid covering itself in mud, the first time this behavior has been documented for squid. They suspect the squid was arranging its tentacles to look like the stalks of a sponge or worm 🦑🌊🧪 esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
December 4, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Very cool new paper: Scientists observed a whiplash squid covering itself in mud, the first time this behavior has been documented for squid. They suspect the squid was arranging its tentacles to look like the stalks of a sponge or worm 🦑🌊🧪 esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
If you haven't see this incredible footage of a bigfin squid (Magnapinna) from @nautiluslive.org, stop what you're doing & watch! This was from last month's expedition exploring deep waters of the Cook Islands, spotted at 5,100 meters deep. 🌍🦑🌊🧪
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UvS...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UvS...
Rare Bigfin Squid Spotted in Deep Sea of Cook Islands | Nautilus Live
YouTube video by EVNautilus
www.youtube.com
November 5, 2025 at 6:52 PM
If you haven't see this incredible footage of a bigfin squid (Magnapinna) from @nautiluslive.org, stop what you're doing & watch! This was from last month's expedition exploring deep waters of the Cook Islands, spotted at 5,100 meters deep. 🌍🦑🌊🧪
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UvS...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UvS...
Reposted by Erin Spencer, PhD
Meet the engineering team behind one of MBARI’s new underwater imaging systems 🤖🔧
Our scientists and engineers work side by side to develop cutting-edge tools that track ocean health in real time and help us visualize the ocean like never before.
Learn more: youtu.be/Kqo4MhthIkQ?...
Our scientists and engineers work side by side to develop cutting-edge tools that track ocean health in real time and help us visualize the ocean like never before.
Learn more: youtu.be/Kqo4MhthIkQ?...
Meet the engineering team behind one of MBARI’s new underwater imaging systems
YouTube video by MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute)
youtu.be
November 4, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Meet the engineering team behind one of MBARI’s new underwater imaging systems 🤖🔧
Our scientists and engineers work side by side to develop cutting-edge tools that track ocean health in real time and help us visualize the ocean like never before.
Learn more: youtu.be/Kqo4MhthIkQ?...
Our scientists and engineers work side by side to develop cutting-edge tools that track ocean health in real time and help us visualize the ocean like never before.
Learn more: youtu.be/Kqo4MhthIkQ?...
Had a wonderful time during another @skypeascientist.bsky.social visit -- this time with 4th graders in a class in New Jersey! Sign up here if you're an educator or scientist interested in participating: www.skypeascientist.com 🧪🌊🍎
October 29, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Had a wonderful time during another @skypeascientist.bsky.social visit -- this time with 4th graders in a class in New Jersey! Sign up here if you're an educator or scientist interested in participating: www.skypeascientist.com 🧪🌊🍎
New paper by Wong et al.: The 2014-2016 northeast Pacific marine heatwave had well-documented impacts on deep reef fish assemblages. ROV surveys from 2005-2021 showed changes in sessile invertebrate abundance during and after the heat wave. 🧪🦑🌊
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Decadal changes in California’s temperate mesophotic reef invertebrate community through the 2014-2016 Northeast Pacific marine heatwave
The 2014-2016 northeast Pacific marine heatwave (MHW) disrupted marine ecosystems in California, with well-documented impacts on kelp reef ecosystems,…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 27, 2025 at 1:16 PM
New paper by Wong et al.: The 2014-2016 northeast Pacific marine heatwave had well-documented impacts on deep reef fish assemblages. ROV surveys from 2005-2021 showed changes in sessile invertebrate abundance during and after the heat wave. 🧪🦑🌊
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Very cool new paper alert! On a 2024 expedition off Chile, scientists saw tons of cusk eels hanging out among tubeworms! An interesting observation of how this species uses methane seeps as important habitat. 🐟🦑🧪🌊 Read the paper: esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
October 23, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Very cool new paper alert! On a 2024 expedition off Chile, scientists saw tons of cusk eels hanging out among tubeworms! An interesting observation of how this species uses methane seeps as important habitat. 🐟🦑🧪🌊 Read the paper: esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Erin Spencer, PhD
October 20, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Great drama happening on the Hudson Canyon livestream right now! Check it out: www.youtube.com/watch?v=n289... 🧪🦑🌊🌍
September 25, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Great drama happening on the Hudson Canyon livestream right now! Check it out: www.youtube.com/watch?v=n289... 🧪🦑🌊🌍
Excited to see @gardenandgun.com highlight the work of conservationists across the Southern U.S. + Bahamas in their Champions of Conservation feature. It showcases how conservation and recreation can work hand-in-hand for stronger, more lasting outcomes. 🐟🌍
gardenandgun.com/feature/cham...
gardenandgun.com/feature/cham...
Champions of Conservation 2025
Safeguarding Helene-threatened salamanders, cultivating gulf oysters, boosting mallard habitat, and spreading native grasslands—the work of this year’s under-the-radar Southern eco-heroes is more impo...
gardenandgun.com
September 23, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Excited to see @gardenandgun.com highlight the work of conservationists across the Southern U.S. + Bahamas in their Champions of Conservation feature. It showcases how conservation and recreation can work hand-in-hand for stronger, more lasting outcomes. 🐟🌍
gardenandgun.com/feature/cham...
gardenandgun.com/feature/cham...
What a cool graduate opportunity!! Dietary benefits of sexual cannibalism in spiders at Oklahoma State University. 🧪👩🔬🌍
sevenseasmedia.org/job/ms-or-ph...
sevenseasmedia.org/job/ms-or-ph...
MS or PhD Opportunity: Nutritional Ecology of Sexual Cannibalism in Spiders
2. Land, Freshwater & Biodiversity Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States Posted 1 hour ago Oklahoma State University Position Overview Application Deadline: October 15, 2025Hours per Week: at least 20Sa...
sevenseasmedia.org
September 15, 2025 at 1:49 PM
What a cool graduate opportunity!! Dietary benefits of sexual cannibalism in spiders at Oklahoma State University. 🧪👩🔬🌍
sevenseasmedia.org/job/ms-or-ph...
sevenseasmedia.org/job/ms-or-ph...
A curious little guy! Spotted on @schmidtocean.bsky.social livestream from 9/8: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivht... 🐟🦑🌊🌍
September 11, 2025 at 1:29 PM
A curious little guy! Spotted on @schmidtocean.bsky.social livestream from 9/8: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivht... 🐟🦑🌊🌍
Catching up on my shows today @schmidtocean.bsky.social 🌊🦑🧪🐟🌍
September 9, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Catching up on my shows today @schmidtocean.bsky.social 🌊🦑🧪🐟🌍
Starting TODAY: Join scientists at sea to learn more about deep sea restoration in real time. Our fall livestream series features many opportunities to hear about ROVs, deep corals, and more. 🌊🦑🧪🐟
Learn more: oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/news/mdbc-li...
Learn more: oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/news/mdbc-li...
Watch live: NOAA and Partners Lead Expedition to Advance Deep-Sea Habitat Restoration in the Gulf - NOAA Ocean Exploration
The upcoming expedition is part of a multi-year collaborative effort to restore deep-sea habitats in the Gulf of Mexico that were injured by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the largest offshore ...
oceanexplorer.noaa.gov
September 9, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Starting TODAY: Join scientists at sea to learn more about deep sea restoration in real time. Our fall livestream series features many opportunities to hear about ROVs, deep corals, and more. 🌊🦑🧪🐟
Learn more: oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/news/mdbc-li...
Learn more: oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/news/mdbc-li...
Reposted by Erin Spencer, PhD
The bumpy snailfish, discovered 10,000 feet down off the coast of California, shows that not all denizens of the abyss are frightening. (I watched the video more than 10 times.)
My latest for @nytimes.com (gift link!)
#marinelife
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/s...
My latest for @nytimes.com (gift link!)
#marinelife
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/s...
A New, ‘Adorable’ Deep-Sea Fish Swims Into View
www.nytimes.com
September 8, 2025 at 3:14 PM
The bumpy snailfish, discovered 10,000 feet down off the coast of California, shows that not all denizens of the abyss are frightening. (I watched the video more than 10 times.)
My latest for @nytimes.com (gift link!)
#marinelife
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/s...
My latest for @nytimes.com (gift link!)
#marinelife
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/s...
This deep-sea worm creates a toxic yellow pigment found in Rembrandt and Cézanne paintings!
Paralvinella hessleri is the first known animal to create orpiment, which was used by artists for centuries. 🦑🧪🌊
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Paralvinella hessleri is the first known animal to create orpiment, which was used by artists for centuries. 🦑🧪🌊
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
September 4, 2025 at 1:10 PM
This deep-sea worm creates a toxic yellow pigment found in Rembrandt and Cézanne paintings!
Paralvinella hessleri is the first known animal to create orpiment, which was used by artists for centuries. 🦑🧪🌊
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Paralvinella hessleri is the first known animal to create orpiment, which was used by artists for centuries. 🦑🧪🌊
www.nature.com/articles/d41...