Steve Haddock
@stevehaddock.bsky.social
Marine biology, ctenophores, bioluminescence, deep-sea, genomics, computing for biologists.
The Radiant Sea. Photo book.
Cello? Views my own.
bit.ly/arms-deep bit.ly/radsea
The Radiant Sea. Photo book.
Cello? Views my own.
bit.ly/arms-deep bit.ly/radsea
Gigantocypris is always a crowd-pleaser, but I have never seen those black amphipods!
(Get your student a little glass photo tank?)
(Get your student a little glass photo tank?)
January 22, 2026 at 2:03 PM
Gigantocypris is always a crowd-pleaser, but I have never seen those black amphipods!
(Get your student a little glass photo tank?)
(Get your student a little glass photo tank?)
This is a limited, regionally relevant post, but… I’ll be giving a talk at the Sanctuary Exploration Center in Santa Cruz on Friday Jan 16th. Come say hi if you’re in town. 🦑🧪
(I’m presenting in San Francisco in early Feb as well)
(I’m presenting in San Francisco in early Feb as well)
January 7, 2026 at 5:28 AM
This is a limited, regionally relevant post, but… I’ll be giving a talk at the Sanctuary Exploration Center in Santa Cruz on Friday Jan 16th. Come say hi if you’re in town. 🦑🧪
(I’m presenting in San Francisco in early Feb as well)
(I’m presenting in San Francisco in early Feb as well)
A survey for Ctenophore Ctuesday:
* What way is this comb jelly swimming? Up or Down?
🧪🦑🤷♂️🌊🤿
* What way is this comb jelly swimming? Up or Down?
🧪🦑🤷♂️🌊🤿
![A pinkish, translucent, roughly bell-shaped jelly on a black background. Iridescent and red vertical stripe run down its tapered body. The top comes to a point, and the bottom is slightly flared. Upon close inspection, you can see little grape-like clusters of gonads next to the vertical stripes, which are the comb rows and main canals.
This [relatively] massive Beroe was observed on a blue-water scuba dive off California. It is 18cm (7 inches) long. Photo: S.Haddock ©MBARI 2025
Fun faCT: If you look closely, you can see the reproductive cells on both sides of the canals. Viewed from the end, rather than the side, the female eggs develop next to the major body axis (like North, S, E, W), and male cells develop on the sides of the canal that are 45° off from the axes (NorthEast, SE, SW, NW). So here you can see 2 sets of eggs, and 4 sets of male gonads.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:funpixcztysgcgvutfyjabnl/bafkreihzme4m42oopw2rfdb7aerfad2nwu3vmg2nggav5fhulfewam5on4@jpeg)
December 16, 2025 at 12:15 PM
A survey for Ctenophore Ctuesday:
* What way is this comb jelly swimming? Up or Down?
🧪🦑🤷♂️🌊🤿
* What way is this comb jelly swimming? Up or Down?
🧪🦑🤷♂️🌊🤿
OK, this is wild!
Smithsonian Magazine included The Radiant Sea in their Best Photography Books of 2025! 😲
From the start, our goal was to entice people with pretty pictures, and then sneak in the science, so to have both appreciated is a complete thrill. 🦑🧪📸
Not bad for a couple biologists :^)
Smithsonian Magazine included The Radiant Sea in their Best Photography Books of 2025! 😲
From the start, our goal was to entice people with pretty pictures, and then sneak in the science, so to have both appreciated is a complete thrill. 🦑🧪📸
Not bad for a couple biologists :^)
December 10, 2025 at 5:57 AM
OK, this is wild!
Smithsonian Magazine included The Radiant Sea in their Best Photography Books of 2025! 😲
From the start, our goal was to entice people with pretty pictures, and then sneak in the science, so to have both appreciated is a complete thrill. 🦑🧪📸
Not bad for a couple biologists :^)
Smithsonian Magazine included The Radiant Sea in their Best Photography Books of 2025! 😲
From the start, our goal was to entice people with pretty pictures, and then sneak in the science, so to have both appreciated is a complete thrill. 🦑🧪📸
Not bad for a couple biologists :^)
Our book The Radiant Sea was chosen as one of five "Must Buy" science books by the Wall Street Journal! :^D
I don't like to promote Am@z0n, but... it is on sale there for super cheap right now too.
Image below showing fluorescence of one of the animals featured in the book. 🦑🧪🌊
I don't like to promote Am@z0n, but... it is on sale there for super cheap right now too.
Image below showing fluorescence of one of the animals featured in the book. 🦑🧪🌊
November 24, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Our book The Radiant Sea was chosen as one of five "Must Buy" science books by the Wall Street Journal! :^D
I don't like to promote Am@z0n, but... it is on sale there for super cheap right now too.
Image below showing fluorescence of one of the animals featured in the book. 🦑🧪🌊
I don't like to promote Am@z0n, but... it is on sale there for super cheap right now too.
Image below showing fluorescence of one of the animals featured in the book. 🦑🧪🌊
Let's do another #ctenophore survey.
You are scuba divining and see this lobate comb jelly cruising in search of prey. Is it swimming to the LEFT or RIGHT?
🦑🧪🌊
You are scuba divining and see this lobate comb jelly cruising in search of prey. Is it swimming to the LEFT or RIGHT?
🦑🧪🌊
October 20, 2025 at 4:30 AM
Let's do another #ctenophore survey.
You are scuba divining and see this lobate comb jelly cruising in search of prey. Is it swimming to the LEFT or RIGHT?
🦑🧪🌊
You are scuba divining and see this lobate comb jelly cruising in search of prey. Is it swimming to the LEFT or RIGHT?
🦑🧪🌊
I found your book displayed *directly* in front of our book at the local shop..!
Naturally I had to buy a copy to reduce the height of the obstruction 😉
Naturally I had to buy a copy to reduce the height of the obstruction 😉
October 11, 2025 at 12:32 AM
I found your book displayed *directly* in front of our book at the local shop..!
Naturally I had to buy a copy to reduce the height of the obstruction 😉
Naturally I had to buy a copy to reduce the height of the obstruction 😉
Apologies that I'm going to be all about THE RADIANT SEA for the foreseeable future, but .... 😉
Our book has been released in the U.K. now and should be available at your local bookshops! 🦑🧪 (with @sonkejo.bsky.social)
Our book has been released in the U.K. now and should be available at your local bookshops! 🦑🧪 (with @sonkejo.bsky.social)
October 10, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Apologies that I'm going to be all about THE RADIANT SEA for the foreseeable future, but .... 😉
Our book has been released in the U.K. now and should be available at your local bookshops! 🦑🧪 (with @sonkejo.bsky.social)
Our book has been released in the U.K. now and should be available at your local bookshops! 🦑🧪 (with @sonkejo.bsky.social)
For CTENOPHORE DAY, a little survey:
Which end of this fishing Pleurobrachia is the mouth on? Please just "vote" in the comments — no definitive answers. 🦑🧪🌊
P.S. this is one of my earliest #ctenophore photos, shot on film in a home-built kreisel.
P.P.S. Legit data-gathering for a future paper.
Which end of this fishing Pleurobrachia is the mouth on? Please just "vote" in the comments — no definitive answers. 🦑🧪🌊
P.S. this is one of my earliest #ctenophore photos, shot on film in a home-built kreisel.
P.P.S. Legit data-gathering for a future paper.
October 4, 2025 at 2:38 PM
For CTENOPHORE DAY, a little survey:
Which end of this fishing Pleurobrachia is the mouth on? Please just "vote" in the comments — no definitive answers. 🦑🧪🌊
P.S. this is one of my earliest #ctenophore photos, shot on film in a home-built kreisel.
P.P.S. Legit data-gathering for a future paper.
Which end of this fishing Pleurobrachia is the mouth on? Please just "vote" in the comments — no definitive answers. 🦑🧪🌊
P.S. this is one of my earliest #ctenophore photos, shot on film in a home-built kreisel.
P.P.S. Legit data-gathering for a future paper.
Not to hijack this thread, but our book The Radiant Sea includes 35 pages of fluorescent animals (and humans.. and asparagus).
Here is a young strawberry squid showing green fluorescence in the eyes and red fluorescent caps on its photophores. 🦑🧪🌊
Here is a young strawberry squid showing green fluorescence in the eyes and red fluorescent caps on its photophores. 🦑🧪🌊
October 1, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Not to hijack this thread, but our book The Radiant Sea includes 35 pages of fluorescent animals (and humans.. and asparagus).
Here is a young strawberry squid showing green fluorescence in the eyes and red fluorescent caps on its photophores. 🦑🧪🌊
Here is a young strawberry squid showing green fluorescence in the eyes and red fluorescent caps on its photophores. 🦑🧪🌊
It is great to see Mackenzie Gerringer's taxonomic work, describing a fish we collected from 3800 meters, featured in the @nytimes.com. We tried to spin this story to combat the blobfish's "ugliest creature" reputation, to get people excited by deep-sea exploration, not turned away. 🧪🦑
September 8, 2025 at 10:42 PM
It is great to see Mackenzie Gerringer's taxonomic work, describing a fish we collected from 3800 meters, featured in the @nytimes.com. We tried to spin this story to combat the blobfish's "ugliest creature" reputation, to get people excited by deep-sea exploration, not turned away. 🧪🦑
My first sighting of The Radiant Sea in the wild, at our local bookshop. If you have any “encounters” I would love to see them. 🙃 #booksky
September 7, 2025 at 3:43 PM
My first sighting of The Radiant Sea in the wild, at our local bookshop. If you have any “encounters” I would love to see them. 🙃 #booksky
Thanks to your incredible support, THE RADIANT SEA is already the top-selling new release in... Entomology?
There are going to be some disappointed bug-huggers out there (looking at you @franzanth.bsky.social). 😉
I am hopeful they will warm up to pictures of ocean bugs like Cystisoma.
There are going to be some disappointed bug-huggers out there (looking at you @franzanth.bsky.social). 😉
I am hopeful they will warm up to pictures of ocean bugs like Cystisoma.
August 29, 2025 at 4:38 AM
Thanks to your incredible support, THE RADIANT SEA is already the top-selling new release in... Entomology?
There are going to be some disappointed bug-huggers out there (looking at you @franzanth.bsky.social). 😉
I am hopeful they will warm up to pictures of ocean bugs like Cystisoma.
There are going to be some disappointed bug-huggers out there (looking at you @franzanth.bsky.social). 😉
I am hopeful they will warm up to pictures of ocean bugs like Cystisoma.
Our science photo book The Radiant Sea is out Sept 2nd!!
30 years of research, 10 years of "we should", and a year of collating pix and writing.
Sönke and I show (mostly for the first time) images of how organisms produce, use, and interact with light in the sea. #bioluminescence #fluorescence 🦑🧪🌊
30 years of research, 10 years of "we should", and a year of collating pix and writing.
Sönke and I show (mostly for the first time) images of how organisms produce, use, and interact with light in the sea. #bioluminescence #fluorescence 🦑🧪🌊
August 28, 2025 at 2:22 AM
Our science photo book The Radiant Sea is out Sept 2nd!!
30 years of research, 10 years of "we should", and a year of collating pix and writing.
Sönke and I show (mostly for the first time) images of how organisms produce, use, and interact with light in the sea. #bioluminescence #fluorescence 🦑🧪🌊
30 years of research, 10 years of "we should", and a year of collating pix and writing.
Sönke and I show (mostly for the first time) images of how organisms produce, use, and interact with light in the sea. #bioluminescence #fluorescence 🦑🧪🌊
It seems like a bad sign that WaPo used a European hurricane prediction in their article instead of a NOAA forecast.
US science is doomed. ⛈️
US science is doomed. ⛈️
August 13, 2025 at 5:04 AM
It seems like a bad sign that WaPo used a European hurricane prediction in their article instead of a NOAA forecast.
US science is doomed. ⛈️
US science is doomed. ⛈️
This was super interesting and somewhat fit with expectations [unfortunately?] but ... as a Richard Scarry aficionado, I am curious about the dataset; there are only two male animals listed for What Do People Do All Day? The schoolteacher is a female bear, Huckle's mom has her own story, etc
July 16, 2025 at 7:24 AM
This was super interesting and somewhat fit with expectations [unfortunately?] but ... as a Richard Scarry aficionado, I am curious about the dataset; there are only two male animals listed for What Do People Do All Day? The schoolteacher is a female bear, Huckle's mom has her own story, etc
Come out and say Hi at MBARI’s open house Saturday the 12th from noon to 5. This is the one day a year that we are open to the public.
We will have a biooptics and plankton booth set up!
We will have a biooptics and plankton booth set up!
July 11, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Come out and say Hi at MBARI’s open house Saturday the 12th from noon to 5. This is the one day a year that we are open to the public.
We will have a biooptics and plankton booth set up!
We will have a biooptics and plankton booth set up!
I am used to photographing #ctenophores in darkfield, but under those conditions it is hard to see the pigment spots on this little (5mm) specimen.
Fun to see the patterns that show up when viewed against a white background. 🧪🦑🌊
Fun to see the patterns that show up when viewed against a white background. 🧪🦑🌊
June 11, 2025 at 10:02 PM
I am used to photographing #ctenophores in darkfield, but under those conditions it is hard to see the pigment spots on this little (5mm) specimen.
Fun to see the patterns that show up when viewed against a white background. 🧪🦑🌊
Fun to see the patterns that show up when viewed against a white background. 🧪🦑🌊
This was unexpected..! I snuck a copy of The Cartoonist Club by @scottmccloud.bsky.social into our kid’s reading pile. He’s always saying “I can’t draw,. I’m not creative.”
Well, this morning at school I saw this poster and said “Hey look”. He said “Yeah, me and Ollie are starting that” (!)
Well, this morning at school I saw this poster and said “Hey look”. He said “Yeah, me and Ollie are starting that” (!)
April 25, 2025 at 3:31 PM
This was unexpected..! I snuck a copy of The Cartoonist Club by @scottmccloud.bsky.social into our kid’s reading pile. He’s always saying “I can’t draw,. I’m not creative.”
Well, this morning at school I saw this poster and said “Hey look”. He said “Yeah, me and Ollie are starting that” (!)
Well, this morning at school I saw this poster and said “Hey look”. He said “Yeah, me and Ollie are starting that” (!)
It’s hard to beat field work in Hawaii with @cadurkin.bsky.social @lenaunderwater.bsky.social and others of the @mbarinews.bsky.social team..!
We are using blue-water scuba diving to study #ctenophores, siphonophores, radiolarians, and #bioluminescence.
🦑🌊🧪🤿
We are using blue-water scuba diving to study #ctenophores, siphonophores, radiolarians, and #bioluminescence.
🦑🌊🧪🤿
April 5, 2025 at 12:28 AM
It’s hard to beat field work in Hawaii with @cadurkin.bsky.social @lenaunderwater.bsky.social and others of the @mbarinews.bsky.social team..!
We are using blue-water scuba diving to study #ctenophores, siphonophores, radiolarians, and #bioluminescence.
🦑🌊🧪🤿
We are using blue-water scuba diving to study #ctenophores, siphonophores, radiolarians, and #bioluminescence.
🦑🌊🧪🤿
It's a challenging time to be looking for a science job.
How about a fully funded postdoc, in an exciting field, working with a pioneer in the field of biooptics?? 🧪
How about a fully funded postdoc, in an exciting field, working with a pioneer in the field of biooptics?? 🧪
March 28, 2025 at 3:05 AM
It's a challenging time to be looking for a science job.
How about a fully funded postdoc, in an exciting field, working with a pioneer in the field of biooptics?? 🧪
How about a fully funded postdoc, in an exciting field, working with a pioneer in the field of biooptics?? 🧪
They are super cute. These were living in about 5 inches of water in a Hawaiian tide pool.
March 20, 2025 at 12:13 AM
They are super cute. These were living in about 5 inches of water in a Hawaiian tide pool.
Given present knowledge, you will have to look to the dragonfishes for red luminescence, although they have an accessory fluorescent pigment to lengthen the emission wavelength…
March 14, 2025 at 1:24 AM
Given present knowledge, you will have to look to the dragonfishes for red luminescence, although they have an accessory fluorescent pigment to lengthen the emission wavelength…
A fun case of usual-unusual: Most luminescence in the sea is blue-green, but Tomopteris worms emit yellow light.
With Warren Francis, we found a species that emits blue light — unusual but usual. 🦑🧪
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00227-016-3028-2
doi.org/10.1002/bio.2671
With Warren Francis, we found a species that emits blue light — unusual but usual. 🦑🧪
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00227-016-3028-2
doi.org/10.1002/bio.2671
March 11, 2025 at 6:13 AM
A fun case of usual-unusual: Most luminescence in the sea is blue-green, but Tomopteris worms emit yellow light.
With Warren Francis, we found a species that emits blue light — unusual but usual. 🦑🧪
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00227-016-3028-2
doi.org/10.1002/bio.2671
With Warren Francis, we found a species that emits blue light — unusual but usual. 🦑🧪
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00227-016-3028-2
doi.org/10.1002/bio.2671
Pausing to adjust my mask during last year's blue-water expedition off Hawaii. 😉
Photo by Natalia Llopis. 🌊🧪🦑
Photo by Natalia Llopis. 🌊🧪🦑
March 5, 2025 at 6:20 AM
Pausing to adjust my mask during last year's blue-water expedition off Hawaii. 😉
Photo by Natalia Llopis. 🌊🧪🦑
Photo by Natalia Llopis. 🌊🧪🦑