Patrick Star and 'Drag Queen' crab: underwater robot live stream captivates Argentines
The Argentine-American scientific mission is for the first time exploring the Mar del Plata canyon, a submarine gorge which plunges nearly 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) deep, off the coast of the seaside resort of the same name.
The awed conversations between scientists leading the expedition and the explanations they give to viewers allow the public a rare insight into the hidden wonders of marine biology.
In one instance, the camera on the SuBastian underwater robot shows a weird-looking, little white animal. One of the scientists on the team can be heard asking her colleagues, "Do we want it?"
"Yes, yes, we want it!" reply dozens of messages in the live stream chat before the image shows the suction device being activated to suck up the specimen for study.
"Oh, I love these little creatures," says one user. "I'm obsessed!" comments another. "Don't take the little one away!" pleads a third.
The live stream began a week ago and exceeded one million views per day since Thursday, when it also began to be broadcast on television.
"There are cold-water corals with the same colors as those in the Caribbean. How can that be? At a depth of 3,000 meters!" Pablo Penchaszadeh, a marine biologist and painter who is on board the expedition as an artist, told AFP.
- Patrick Star -
The 20-day expedition "Underwater Oases of the Mar del Plata Canyon" involves 25 scientists -- most of them from the Argentine research agency CONICET.
Part of the GEMPA deep sea study group, with support from the US Schmidt Ocean Institute, it will end on August 10.
Aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute's "Falkor (too)" ship, scientists remotely operate the robot, which can descend to a depth of 4,500 meters (14,700 feet).
They collect biological samples with its robotic arms and other instruments, and send back high-definition images.
"The fact that anyone can connect from home and see what we are seeing live is a unique opportunity," explains expedition leader Daniel Lauretta in a statement.
"Science is no longer something distant or inaccessible, but becomes part of everyday life."
This week, social media users were delighted when an orange starfish with two symmetrical bumps resembling buttocks appeared on the live stream. It quickly prompted comparisons with Patrick Star, from the popular animated series SpongeBob SquarePants.
Memes circulated joking that "Patrick is Argentine," marine biology became a trending topic on social media, and the broadcast reached the screens of hundreds of thousands of captivated viewers.
"I came to see the big-bottomed star, is it here?" asked one user upon entering the YouTube chat.
Spectators also gave other sea creatures nicknames: a king crab was dubbed "Drag Queen," and sea cucumber was fondly called "Sweet Potato."
- 'Beacon of light' -
This is the first time that human eyes -- albeit remotely -- have seen this underwater oasis in real time, where the cold, nutrient-rich Malvinas current and warm, salty Brazil current converge.
The confluence is "one of the most energetic regions in our global Ocean," according to the website of the Schmidt Institute, with the temperature difference creating an area teeming with marine wildlife and flora.
"We are already seeing incredible things: animals that have never been recorded in this area, underwater landscapes that look like something from another planet, and behaviors that surprise even the most experienced scientists," said Lauretta.
But funding for such expeditions is under threat in Argentina.
CONICET, the government's scientific research arm, has been severely underfunded by libertarian President Javier Milei, who has implemented draconian cuts to public spending with his infamous "chainsaw."
Its budget fell by 21 percent last year, salaries have plummeted by 35 percent since the Milei took office in December 2023, and the cuts have led to an exodus of scientists.
As a result, in between "oohs" and "aahs" of wonder, messages of support are flooding the live stream's chat: "Long live Conicet!".
"Seeing people being passionate about their job is attractive," said Tomas Atilio Luppi, a biologist at the CONICET-affiliated marine and coastal research institute in Mar del Plata, who is not directly involved in the campaign.
"This is happening at a very difficult time," he told AFP of the popular broadcast. "Science is in a very complicated position, both financially and in terms of support and human resources."
"The fact that this craze is happening is like a beacon of light."
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The Australian
2 days ago
- The Australian
Patrick Star and 'Drag Queen' crab: underwater robot live stream captivates Argentines
A robot explores the dark, cold, deep sea floor of the South Atlantic, transmitting images of vibrant coral and fish never seen before as scientists give live commentary via YouTube. And Argentines can't get enough of it. The Argentine-American scientific mission is for the first time exploring the Mar del Plata canyon, a submarine gorge which plunges nearly 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) deep, off the coast of the seaside resort of the same name. The awed conversations between scientists leading the expedition and the explanations they give to viewers allow the public a rare insight into the hidden wonders of marine biology. In one instance, the camera on the SuBastian underwater robot shows a weird-looking, little white animal. One of the scientists on the team can be heard asking her colleagues, "Do we want it?" "Yes, yes, we want it!" reply dozens of messages in the live stream chat before the image shows the suction device being activated to suck up the specimen for study. "Oh, I love these little creatures," says one user. "I'm obsessed!" comments another. "Don't take the little one away!" pleads a third. The live stream began a week ago and exceeded one million views per day since Thursday, when it also began to be broadcast on television. "There are cold-water corals with the same colors as those in the Caribbean. How can that be? At a depth of 3,000 meters!" Pablo Penchaszadeh, a marine biologist and painter who is on board the expedition as an artist, told AFP. - Patrick Star - The 20-day expedition "Underwater Oases of the Mar del Plata Canyon" involves 25 scientists -- most of them from the Argentine research agency CONICET. Part of the GEMPA deep sea study group, with support from the US Schmidt Ocean Institute, it will end on August 10. Aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute's "Falkor (too)" ship, scientists remotely operate the robot, which can descend to a depth of 4,500 meters (14,700 feet). They collect biological samples with its robotic arms and other instruments, and send back high-definition images. "The fact that anyone can connect from home and see what we are seeing live is a unique opportunity," explains expedition leader Daniel Lauretta in a statement. "Science is no longer something distant or inaccessible, but becomes part of everyday life." This week, social media users were delighted when an orange starfish with two symmetrical bumps resembling buttocks appeared on the live stream. It quickly prompted comparisons with Patrick Star, from the popular animated series SpongeBob SquarePants. Memes circulated joking that "Patrick is Argentine," marine biology became a trending topic on social media, and the broadcast reached the screens of hundreds of thousands of captivated viewers. "I came to see the big-bottomed star, is it here?" asked one user upon entering the YouTube chat. Spectators also gave other sea creatures nicknames: a king crab was dubbed "Drag Queen," and sea cucumber was fondly called "Sweet Potato." - 'Beacon of light' - This is the first time that human eyes -- albeit remotely -- have seen this underwater oasis in real time, where the cold, nutrient-rich Malvinas current and warm, salty Brazil current converge. The confluence is "one of the most energetic regions in our global Ocean," according to the website of the Schmidt Institute, with the temperature difference creating an area teeming with marine wildlife and flora. "We are already seeing incredible things: animals that have never been recorded in this area, underwater landscapes that look like something from another planet, and behaviors that surprise even the most experienced scientists," said Lauretta. But funding for such expeditions is under threat in Argentina. CONICET, the government's scientific research arm, has been severely underfunded by libertarian President Javier Milei, who has implemented draconian cuts to public spending with his infamous "chainsaw." Its budget fell by 21 percent last year, salaries have plummeted by 35 percent since the Milei took office in December 2023, and the cuts have led to an exodus of scientists. As a result, in between "oohs" and "aahs" of wonder, messages of support are flooding the live stream's chat: "Long live Conicet!". "Seeing people being passionate about their job is attractive," said Tomas Atilio Luppi, a biologist at the CONICET-affiliated marine and coastal research institute in Mar del Plata, who is not directly involved in the campaign. "This is happening at a very difficult time," he told AFP of the popular broadcast. "Science is in a very complicated position, both financially and in terms of support and human resources." "The fact that this craze is happening is like a beacon of light." bur-lm/dg/db/aks/st
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6 days ago
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Office worker finds endangered spotted handfish dead on Hobart street
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Courier-Mail
24-07-2025
- Courier-Mail
Tides could help predict when huge icebergs break loose: study
Don't miss out on the headlines from Breaking News. Followed categories will be added to My News. Ocean tides can trigger city-sized icebergs to break off from Antarctic ice shelves, scientists said on Thursday, offering a potential way to predict these dramatic events in the future. It is not normally possible to forecast when icebergs break free, or calve, although the timing is important because these behemoths change the shape of ice sheets and affect global sea levels. Yet when a chunk of ice the size of Greater London suddenly broke off the Brunt Ice Shelf in 2023 and started drifting away, glaciologist Oliver Marsh was not surprised. Marsh told AFP he had predicted that a huge iceberg breaking off was "imminent within the next weeks to months". The British Antarctic Survey researcher had spent years studying the huge crack that would create the 550-square-kilometre (210-square-mile) iceberg named A81. As Marsh had anticipated, the calving occurred at the peak of spring tide, when there is the biggest difference between the ocean's high and low tide. New research led by Marsh, published in the journal Nature Communications on Thursday, used modelling to show that the calving was triggered by the tide, along with high winds and stress on the ice. After A81 broke off, Marsh visited the ice shelf to see how open water had replaced what had previously been "ice as far as you could see". "It was sad to see it go, in a way," he said. A81 is currently drifting up the eastern side of the Antarctica Peninsula towards the Weddell Sea. It remains to be seen whether it will come close to South Georgia island, which is an important breeding ground for penguins, seals and other animals. - 'Out of balance' - The world's biggest iceberg, A23a, ran aground not too far from South Georgia earlier this year but is not thought to pose a threat to wildlife. Now that A23a is exposed to the waves of the Southern Ocean, its "days are numbered", Marsh said. He emphasised that iceberg calving is a natural process which balances out the massive amount of snow that falls on Antarctica every year. However, "now we're out of balance", Marsh added. Antarctica loses ice in two ways -- icebergs calving and ice sheets melting. And ice sheets are melting at a rapidly increasing rate as oceans warm due to human-driven climate change, scientists have warned. "We don't know whether calving rates have gone up" because they happen relatively infrequently, Marsh said. A81 was the second of three mammoth icebergs that have broken free of the Brunt Ice Shelf since 2021. "We are expecting a very large calving event at some point from this area" in the future, Marsh said. But he could not give a timeframe. "Whilst we're saying we are a step closer to being able to predict these events... it is still difficult to predict." dl/gil Originally published as Tides could help predict when huge icebergs break loose: study
