Latest news with #Plankton
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists reveal troubling satellite data on vanishing ocean life: 'We're just trying to make this seamless'
Ocean scientists have been utilizing satellite technology to provide a clearer look at the plankton that form the foundation of aquatic ecosystems. What they're finding, according to The New York Times, is that the changing environment is threatening these tiny organisms, and therefore threatening the entire food chain. Phytoplankton are microscopic marine organisms that use photosynthesis to create energy. They produce a significant amount of the planet's oxygen, and they also serve as the primary food source for zooplankton, the ocean's tiniest animals. Zooplankton are a critical marine food source themselves, feeding everything from shrimp to fish to seabirds — all the way up to blue whales, the biggest animals on the planet. Because plankton are so foundational to the food chain, tracking them is crucial for understanding the state of the ocean's ecosystems. With the help of NASA's Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem satellite, researchers can now do that more effectively and more efficiently, per the Times. The PACE satellite measures the entire spectrum of visible light (and a bit beyond), allowing scientists to observe the density and diversity of the ocean's phytoplankton. Combining this information with local observations, they're able to accurately track phytoplankton like never before. "We're just trying to make this seamless," University of California, San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography biological oceanographer Clarissa Anderson said, "so you can go from that satellite view and drill down all the way to the very near shore: What's happening at my pier? What's happening at my dock?" PACE satellite observations have featured a few alarming trends. Open-ocean phytoplankton seem to be declining, while huge blooms of the organisms in certain areas are disrupting ecosystems and economies. It's believed that these shifting plankton patterns are connected to rising ocean temperatures. Phytoplankton are among the most abundant organisms on the planet. They essentially provide food to every ocean animal. A crisis with them could spell disaster for ecosystems around the planet. The connection between life on dry land and the state of the ocean is a lot stronger than many realize. Not only do more than 3 billion people depend on seafood for sustenance, according to the World Wildlife Fund, but EarthSky also reported that the ocean creates 50-80% of the planet's oxygen. The main producer of that oxygen? Phytoplankton. Tracking phytoplankton allows researchers to see the impacts of the changing environment on the world's oceans. It also allows scientists and others to better predict the activity of marine life, as it tends to follow plankton. Research to track phytoplankton is just one example of human efforts to protect the oceans. There are many more. Should taxpayers help pay to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? We should pay for all of it We should pay some but not all Corporations should foot the bill Charities should pay for it Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. For example, Netherlands-based nonprofit The Ocean Cleanup has removed 17 million pounds of plastic trash and counting from the Pacific Ocean. The company is utilizing drone technology to improve its methods, too. If you want to protect the oceans, reducing plastic use is a great start. Upgrading to solar in your home is another option. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Plankton: The Movie's Stars Worked With Music Legend on SpongeBob Musical
Plankton: The Movie stars Mr. Lawrence and Jill Talley spoke to ComingSoon about the new SpongeBob musical. Mr. Lawrence, who voices Plankton, also co-wrote the film, while Talley voices Plankton's wife, Karen. The duo discussed working with Flight of the Concords' Bret McKenzie and Linda Perry, while also talking about the Netflix movie's themes. It begins streaming on March 7. 'Plankton's world is flipped upside down when his plan for world domination is thwarted,' says the film's logline. Tyler Treese: Mr. Lawrence, you have a story credit here, and you co-wrote the film. You're a writer on the show, so that's a very natural fit. But what were the biggest challenges of doing a full feature film versus a short episode? There's a lot of meat to this. Mr. Lawrence: Yeah. There's a lot more to consider when you're doing a movie, of course. […] The idea came from a special that I wanted to do. But then that's where you realize what, when they came up with, 'Hey, we'd like to try to do some movie with Sandy and with Plankton,' and clicking that into it, I said, 'Oh, wow.' A special would've been great with this idea, but I think it was sort of made for a movie, and it would've been something that normally we would've been racking our brains for a year trying to figure out. 'What is the Plankton movie gonna be?' And instead it was kind of sitting there [laughs] when I was already working on it. So just luck, you know. Some kind of zeitgeist thing happening at the same time for us. So it worked out. But to me, that's what made it, that we could really go epic with the story and really have Karen dominate and do her thing. And that in a special, I think it would've been lost a little. I think it would've it wouldn't have been enough time to feel that this is serious. You know what I mean? It's kind of like that feeling of, 'This isn't epic.' This is a big deal happening here. It's not just a short or a shorter version, which I think would've kind of clipped its wings. I think we got to spread out a lot with these characters in this movie. Jill, I wanted to ask you, because as Mr. Lawrence was saying this might be called Plankton: The Movie, but it's kind of like Karen The Movie. Jill Talley: Thank you, Tyler, for correcting the name [laughs]. We see her break out on her own. She has her own plan of world domination. There's a sense of empowerment there. What did you like most about that aspect of the plot? Talley: Well, I mean, who doesn't wanna be a villain? Who doesn't wanna play a villain? When you're like a kid and you're playing games with your siblings, everyone wants to be the bad guy. It's the meatiest thing, you know, you can have more fun with it. So I loved that. I loved getting to stretch, 'cause Karen gets mad at Plankton, but to really be, to turn evil is just like a whole new level of… trying to think of the right word… Hamming it up for me [laughs]. It was fun! I loved it. I loved taking this character that we've been doing for so long and finding a new place for them. You know? Mr. Lawrence, the musical numbers in this film are great. I saw Brett McKenzie worked on some of the songs along with Linda Perry. I love Flight of the Concords and 4 Non Blondes, so that was a real trip when I saw the credits. How was it getting to perform their songs and knowing they were coming from such great artists? Mr. Lawrence: It was super awesome. Like, that was like one of the coolest things. 'cause they were asking who would we wanna work with? And Brett McKenzie was one of the things in my head right away. 'cause I know he writes songs in a freelance way, and Flight of the Concords is one of my favorite things. That show, their albums, the whole thing. So I was really happy about that. Linda Perry, I didn't even think about. I didn't come up with that one, and I couldn't believe it. I was like, going, 'She's gonna work with us?' [laughs]. Like that's… oh my. You know? So I got to go to her studio and work out the songs with her, the two songs that she worked on. And that was just… just that alone. Just to kind of touch on the actual music business, like a real song. A real song. [Perry is] a genius, you know, somebody who aside from 4 Non Blondes has written so many songs for so many people that are amazing. I've known about her for years, and all of a sudden there, I'm standing in front of her. I'm like, 'oh my God.' This is…. Talley: Yeah. This is crazy. It's intimidating. Mr. Lawrence: It is. Yeah. I really wanted her to like what we were doing. I didn't want her to go out. She had told me some horror stories about some of the pros, I won't tell you what they were, but she said some of the crazy things she was dealing with, with people in projects she was working on at the time. And she said that we were really great to work with, so I was so happy about that. Talley: She was so patient. You work with someone that that's what they do for a living, and that's not what you do for a living. I mean, we do voice stuff, but like singing, you know? And then you come up against someone like that and you don't wanna disappoint them, you know? It puts a whole extra level of stress, you know? And she was so comforting. She was so patient and nice. That really helped a lot. In the film, as Jill mentioned, we see some character development for Karen. She goes to the next level. She gets quite the upgrade — three heads! How is it kinda finding your voices for the different Karens? Talley: My first thought, and I guess this speaks to like my own personal insecurities or whatever as an actor, but my first thought was, 'I can't do that.' 'I'm not gonna be able to do that.' 'I'm not gonna be able to sing, not gonna be…' You know. And then you have your initial panic attack of, 'I don't know how to do this.' And then you start playing and start trying and start thinking of the voices. And then you find it, and then […] it's fun. Then you start playing, and then you lock in. And that's kind of how the process was. It was sort of like, 'Jill has a panic attack. Find the voice, do the voice. Hey, this is fun.' Mr. Lawrence: Same with the singing. We do that too at the sessions too. There's like that sort of initial, we get in and we're talking and we're doing our voices and clearing our throats, and then… Yeah. Yeah. There comes that moment — you could feel it in the recordings – where we all get loose. Where all of a sudden there's no more pretension, there's no more worry. We're just enjoying being there and going back and forth. Not just on this movie, the whole everything we've done together. I love that. Mr. Lawrence, this show's been on for so long that obviously kids are gonna watch this, but also adults. There's a lot of nostalgia for SpongeBob. This film has this wonderful theme of kind of not taking your partner for granted and being appreciative. How was it kind of layering that? This is a really fun watch for kids, but even the adults that check in on this are gonna leave with something to think about. Mr. Lawrence: Yeah, we had to steer it certainly because we'd go too far into… You could take that way too far. And then, and then it's not fun anymore. Talley: It's just sort of real life and a couple arguing. Mr. Lawrence: Yeah, yeah. But because Jill's married and I'm married, we know what that is. We understand married life. So you wanna bring something to it that feels authentic with the characters, which I think we did initially when the show started. But I feel like the show is always about being fun. Even if we do something sad, even if we do something angry, we sort of undercut it with humor, which is the style of our show. And it has been the style of all the movies, just the characters in general. Spongebob has always been trying to stay funny. We just want to be funny all the time. So even though we touch on these things that are adult, I think it's kid friendly. It's family friendly. Everybody's will get it. 'cause You know, I mean, kids are kids, but they know their parents are married, you know? Yeah. They know who their parents are, you know, and they know they're together or whatever the situation is. Talley: They're smart. They see that they're smart. Like you can have disagreements and stuff and still love each other. Karen and Plankton are the perfect example of that. They truly love each other. Mr. Lawrence: They stay together. Thanks to Mr. Lawrence and Jill Talley for taking the time to talk about Netflix's Plankton: The Movie. The post Plankton: The Movie's Stars Worked With Music Legend on SpongeBob Musical appeared first on - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
The Guardian
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Plankton: The Movie review – Netflix's Spongebob spin-off movie is for fans only
Honestly, a title like Plankton: The Movie is about as difficult to evaluate as any movie that comes down the Hollywood pike or, in this case, washes up on its shores. Not because it's a spin-off of SpongeBob Squarepants – or at least, not because there is anything inherently wrong with a spin-off movie of such a durably silly and enjoyable kids' franchise – but because it often feels somewhere to the side of genuine feature-film status. In executive terms, it is more like content. Lengthwise, Plankton does qualify as a feature, though its official runtime of nearly 90 minutes doesn't really do justice to the fact that it runs closer to 75 when you take out the extensive end credits. Anyway, that's not a problem; there's a rich tradition of animated movies aimed at kids not overstaying their welcome, and Plankton himself is such a little guy. For a tiny, amorphous blob, he's quite accomplished, having parlayed a bit role on the long-running Nickelodeon series to a fixture as the self-appointed nemesis of SpongeBob and his beloved employer, the Krusty Krab. Like Pinky and the Brain before him, Plankton (voiced by an animator and voice actor known as Mr Lawrence) has attempted to overcome his diminutive status with somewhat obtuse world-conquering schemes, which he's convinced can and should begin with stealing the recipe for the Krusty Krab's Krabby Patty. One of the best jokes of Plankton's spin-off movie (presumably long-awaited by, at very least, Plankton himself) is that his longtime spouse Karen (Jill Talley), a sentient computer, is far better-suited to carrying out cartoonish evil plans than he is. Weary of his lack of gratitude and generally boorish manner, Karen takes matters into her own hands, becomes a multi-screened supercomputer and sets about actually dominating the world Plankton has long yearned to subjugate. This leaves Plankton, SpongeBob (Tom Kenny), and a group of gal pals led by the underwater-dwelling squirrel Sandy Cheeks (Carolyn Lawrence) to stop her – which makes Plankton: The Movie the rare children's film to focus on the reconciliation of a childless marriage. The loopiness of this premise is charming. Its suitability to fill out a feature film, less so. (It was originally conceived as a special before it was developed into the second tier of SpongeBob movies; the main line generally gets theatrical releases, while these spin-offs focused on the supporting cast are licensed to Netflix.) To distinguish the movies from the long-running cartoon series, the characters are rendered in choppy modern computer animation, which is to say these days, the SpongeBob movies generally look worse than the show. (That's one way to tell them apart, I guess!) Plankton is most enjoyable when it toys with other art styles, like a 2D psychedelic sequence after Karen's discarded love chip is shoved into her husband's brain, or a black-and-white musical flashback drawn in the style of 1930s shorts. All of this potentially extraneous stuff – extensive flashbacks, musical numbers, animated experiments – are what make Plankton fun while simultaneously creating the impression that the story at hand is on the static side. Much of it consists of Plankton talking to his frenemies about his marriage. As such, it often feels more like a three-episodes-and-change filibuster than a real movie. On one hand, this is a Netflix movie, so it's not as if families are having $100 in ticket sales pried away from them; on the other, a streaming release makes it even more difficult to discern from TV, despite the shinier/crappier animation style. None of this can or should concern the kid audience that's barely old enough to tell the difference anyway. But it's hard not to wonder if sorta-movies like Plankton are training that younger audience to start thinking in terms of content, early and often. Plankton: The Movie is available now on Netflix
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
New On Netflix, Disney+, And More: 5 Streaming Shows And Movies To Watch This Week (March 3 - 9)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. One of the best things about having subscriptions to all the best streaming services is the way in which each one often caters to a different audience, but also the way they can sometimes surprise you. This week's list of streaming highlights has the wide variety of content you might expect, but not necessarily in the places you might expect it. This week offers a movie that is sure to be fun for the whole family, but it's not coming to Disney+, it's on Netflix. No, Disney+ is instead the place where you'll find the most mature and violent series of the week. This week's new reality series offering home and gardening tips isn't from a Discovery series on Max. Max instead debuts an A24 horror movie that is the scariest film of the week. Here's a look at what to watch, and where to find it. Following several cameos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in everything from Spider-Man: No Way Home to She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, Charlie Cox stars alongside Vincent D'Onofrio in Daredevil: Born Again. The first of at least two seasons of a new Daredevil series that brings back nearly everything fans loved about the original Netflix series, only now you'll need a Disney+ subscription to watch it. Originally set to debut in January, the decision was made to push back Meghan Markle's new Netflix series out of respect for those dealing with the devastating Southern California wildfires. The eight-part series will arrive March 4, and will see the Duchess of Sussex provide tips in areas including cooking and gardening. One of the most popular reality competitions currently in production, and one of the best reasons to have a Peacock subscription, sees its third season come to an end this week. Fans of The Traitors will be able to enjoy both the finale of the competition as well as the reunion special that will wrap up the season. Now the wait for The Traitors Season 4 begins. Few kids' properties over the last quarter century have been quite as popular as Spngebob Squarepants. The popular TV show has seen multiple movies over the years. The latest movie will require your Netflix subscription. Plankton The Movie, focuses on the traditional villain of the story Plankton, as his computer sidekick Karen decides to do what Plankton has never accomplished, taking over the world. Once upon a time, Hugh Grant was the go-to lead for your favorite rom-com, but he's always been capable of surprising us. In last year's Heretic Grant terrified audiences as a man who kidnaps two missionaries in order to test their faith in the most extreme way possible. With more episodes of Daredevil: Born Again arriving for the next several weeks, MCU fans will have plenty to keep them happy. Everybody else can look forward to everything else coming to streaming.
