Lately I’ve been playing a new job sim game, Crime Scene Cleaner, while also watching BBC’s comedy series The Cleaner, both of which focus on the aftermath of gruesome murders – sometimes you just need some cosy viewing to take the edge off the day. In the TV show, Greg Davies plays Wicky, the acerbic employee of a government-endorsed clean-up company, while Crime Scene Cleaner’s lead character Kovalsky is a lowly janitor, mopping up blood and disposing of trash to cover up for a mob boss named Big Jim.The crime scenes in both are laughably over the top. Or are they? I’ve never actually seen a real-life murder scene, so perhaps copious blood sprayed over walls and ceilings and the masses of broken furniture is completely normal.Take the edge off … Greg Davies as Wicky in the BBC’s The Cleaner. Photograph: Tom Jackson/PAStepping into Kovalsky’s plastic overshoes, the aim is to leave each location exactly as it was prior to the … um … incident. Unlike Wicky, who has to constantly deal with annoying homeowners and neighbours, Kovalsky has no living humans for company; just the dead ones that he hauls over his shoulder before slinging them unceremoniously into the back of his pickup truck. Each scene plays out in silence, save for the occasional brief chat with Big Jim and Kovalsky’s own pithy self-talk. Both Kovalsky and Wicky are world-weary labourers, doing what is necessary to get through each blood-splattered scene. But there are differences between the two men: Kovalsky swipes cash and valuables to boost his bank balance (he’s saving up to pay his daughter’s medical bills) while Wicky just wants to get finished in time for curry night at the pub.Crime Scene Cleaner is a weird concept for a game, the unnatural offspring of PowerWash Simulator and Hitman. But despite the macabre premise, I’ve come to appreciate the quiet, contemplative and satisfying process of cleaning up, as Kovalsky stuffs fragments of glass, pizza slices and broken crockery into his bin bag before hurling it into his truck and getting started on all the blood spatter with a microfibre mop, pushing sofas and tables back and returning ornaments to their rightful spot on the shelves afterwards. It’s immensely satisfying, despite the game’s realistic yet tiresome insistence on continually wringing out your mops and sponges.No living humans for company … Crime Scene Cleaner video game. Photograph: President StudioExploring increasingly bizarre locations is also a common theme between the two: Crime Scene Cleaner has a pizzeria, a museum and a spooky smart house; The Cleaner takes in an ice-cream parlour, theatre and stately home. I love that the game gives me a chance to become a more sedate version of The Cleaner’s Wicky without the interference of coppers, maniacal novelists or even the killer themselves (as brilliantly portrayed by Helena Bonham Carter in the show). With his daughter ensconced in a medical clinic, Kovalsky’s only (living) companion is his playful German shepherd. Its name? Dexter. Of course.At the end of each clean-up, I find myself standing back and admiring the scene, content with a job well done. Crime Scene Cleaner and The Cleaner both tap into the very essence of black comedy, where horror becomes amusingly banall. In both, the crimes have already happened, the worst has been done and all that remains is… the remains.

From August 23rd - September 14th, 2023 (Kodiak, Alaska to Seward, Alaska), NOAA Ocean Exploration conducted Seascape Alaska 5: Gulf of Alaska Remotely Operated Vehicle Exploration and Mapping (EX2306), a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and mapping expedition to the Gulf of Alaska on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. Operations during this 23-day expedition included the completion of 19 successful remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dives, which were conducted in water depths ranging from 253.1 m to 4261.5 m for approximately 87 hours of bottom time and resulted in the collection of 383 samples. EX2306 also collected more than 28,000 sq. km of seafloor bathymetry and associated water column data using an EM 304 multibeam sonar. These images were captured on dives that were included in the source data for the How Little We’ve Seen: A Visual Coverage Estimate of the Deep Seafloor paper. They are good general reference imagery for the type of deep ocean observations captured by ROVs.(Image Courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration)NewsletterSign up for our email newsletter for the latest science newsKey Takeaways on Deep Ocean Exploration: We have visually explored less than 0.001 percent of the deep sea floor. To put that in perspective, 66 percent of the planet is deep ocean, and 99.999 percent of that ocean is unknown to us.Like ecosystems on land, the sea has a complex food web. Most of life in the sea depends on detritus, mostly phytoplankton, falling down from the surface, something called “marine snow.”Organisms that live in shallow water absorb carbon dioxide and take that with them when they sink to the bottom, often to be buried in deep-sea sediment. This is known as a carbon sink. It’s important to know the rates at which this happens, because this partially offsets the carbon we’re adding to the atmosphere. It’s been said many times that we know more about the moon than our own ocean. But is it really true that we’ve explored only a tiny portion of the sea?Katy Croff Bell wondered about this, too. Bell is an oceanographer and the founder of the Ocean Discovery League. She knew that Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and others have been operating deep-sea submersibles like Alvin for decades, and there are facilities in 20 or so places around the world doing deep-sea research. But how much of the sea floor have these projects actually explored visually, not just mapped or sampled?Mapping the Deep OceanBell started looking up dive data and doing some math. “I stayed up way too late and came up with a very, very tiny number,” she recalls. She didn’t believe her own results and got everyone she could think of to double-check her math. But the results held. Over the next four years, she and her team compiled a database of dives from organizations and individuals around the world, and the data support her initial estimate. The number is indeed tiny. It turns out that we have visually explored less than 0.001 percent of the deep sea floor. To put that in perspective, 66 percent of the planet is deep ocean, and 99.999 percent of that ocean is unknown to us. Bell and her team published their findings in May 2025 in the journal Science Advances.Why Deep Sea Exploration MattersFrom July 14 - July 25, 2023, NOAA Ocean Exploration and partners conducted the third in a series of Seascape Alaska expeditions on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. Over the course of 12 days at sea, the team conducted 6 full remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dives, mapped nearly 16,000 square kilometers (6,180 square miles), and collected a variety of biological and geological samples. When combined with numerous biological and geological observations, data from the Seascape Alaska 3: Aleutians Remotely Operated Vehicle Exploration and Mapping expedition will help to establish a baseline assessment of the ocean environment, increase understanding of marine life and habitats to inform management decisions, and increase public awareness of ocean issues. These images were captured on dives that were included in the source data for the How Little We’ve Seen: A Visual Coverage Estimate of the Deep Seafloor paper. They are good general reference imagery for the type of deep ocean observations captured by ROVs. (Image Courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration)About 26 percent of the ocean has been mapped with multi-beam sonar, explains Bell, and that gives us an idea of the shape of the ocean floor. But that’s like looking at a topographical map of an area you’re planning to hike. You know where the hills and valleys are, but you have no idea what kind of plants and animals you’re likely to encounter. If you want to understand the deep ocean, you need to get down there and see what kind of rocks and sediment are there, learn about the corals and sponges and other animals living there, she says. Samples of ocean life are helpful, but they do not give anything like a full picture of the life-forms in the deep sea, and more importantly, they tell you little about the complex ecosystems they’re a part of. But when you put mapping and sampling together with visual data, plus data about temperature, depths, and salinity, Bell says, you start to build a picture of what a given ocean habitat is like, and eventually, the role of that habitat in the global ocean system.The Deep-Sea "Snow" That Provides LifeFrom August 23rd - September 14th, 2023 (Kodiak, Alaska to Seward, Alaska), NOAA Ocean Exploration conducted Seascape Alaska 5: Gulf of Alaska Remotely Operated Vehicle Exploration and Mapping (EX2306), a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and mapping expedition to the Gulf of Alaska on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. Operations during this 23-day expedition included the completion of 19 successful remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dives, which were conducted in water depths ranging from 253.1 m to 4261.5 m for approximately 87 hours of bottom time and resulted in the collection of 383 samples. EX2306 also collected more than 28,000 sq. km of seafloor bathymetry and associated water column data using an EM 304 multibeam sonar. These images were captured on dives that were included in the source data for the How Little We’ve Seen: A Visual Coverage Estimate of the Deep Seafloor paper. They are good general reference imagery for the type of deep ocean observations captured by ROVs. (Image Courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration)Like ecosystems on land, the sea has a complex food web. Most of life in the sea depends on detritus, mostly phytoplankton, falling down from the surface, something called “marine snow,” explains James Douglass, an ecologist at Florida Gulf Coast University who studies life on the sea bed. This snow of nutrients is eaten by what are called suspension feeders, including filter feeders, such as sponges and corals, which have tentacles or basket-like appendages to trap the snow. Then other organisms, such as crabs and worms, feed on these creatures. The crabs and worms, in turn, are eaten by fish. Deposit feeders, such as the sea pig, a type of sea cucumber that “trundles across the bottom eating mud all day,” add to the already huge variety of life, Douglass says. The types of organisms you have in the deep sea depend on how deep it is, whether the sea floor is rocky or muddy, how quickly currents bring food, and whether there are underwater hot springs or cold seeps, or other sources of extra energy, says Douglass. So yes, it’s a complicated world down there, and there’s an awful lot we don’t yet know.Deep-Sea Ecosystems and Climate Change From July 14 - July 25, 2023, NOAA Ocean Exploration and partners conducted the third in a series of Seascape Alaska expeditions on NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. Over the course of 12 days at sea, the team conducted 6 full remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dives, mapped nearly 16,000 square kilometers (6,180 square miles), and collected a variety of biological and geological samples. When combined with numerous biological and geological observations, data from the Seascape Alaska 3: Aleutians Remotely Operated Vehicle Exploration and Mapping expedition will help to establish a baseline assessment of the ocean environment, increase understanding of marine life and habitats to inform management decisions, and increase public awareness of ocean issues. These images were captured on dives that were included in the source data for the How Little We’ve Seen: A Visual Coverage Estimate of the Deep Seafloor paper. They are good general reference imagery for the type of deep ocean observations captured by ROVs. (Image Courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration)Learning about ocean ecosystems is extremely valuable as basic science. But it has a more urgent purpose as well. Though we often think of the land and the sea as two completely separate places, they are intertwined in many significant ways. The ocean has absorbed 90 percent of the excess heat and 30 percent of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by humans, says Bell. “But we don’t really have a good understanding of how this is going to impact deep-sea ecosystems, and those ecosystems play a vital role in the process of carbon sequestration,” she says.When it comes to climate change, the deep sea has a lot to teach us. In parts of the deep sea, Douglass explains, nothing disturbs the layers of sediment that are deposited slowly over the course of thousands, even millions of years. Geologists can interpret the layers and study the fossils preserved in them to get an understanding of what the conditions of the planet were like in the distant past, similar to the way climatologists study Antarctic ice cores. “We've learned things about how the ocean ecosystem changes when climate changes. We've learned that some worrying things can happen under certain climate conditions in the deep ocean,” Douglass says. “For example, the ocean can become less oxygenated, which would be a catastrophic threat to deep-sea life.”The Deep Ocean and Climate RegulationAnd, of course, there’s carbon dioxide. “The deep sea is not just a passive record of what happened to the climate; it’s involved in regulating climate,” Douglass says. Organisms that live in shallow water absorb carbon dioxide and take that with them when they sink to the bottom, often to be buried in deep-sea sediment. This is known as a carbon sink. Douglass says it’s very important to know the rates at which this happens, because this partially offsets the carbon we’re adding to the atmosphere. “Deep-sea carbon storage is a huge element in our understanding of the planet's ability to regulate climate,” he adds.If we are to truly understand the way the entire planet works, we need to understand the deep sea and its complex ecosystems as well as life on land and in the shallows. And to do that, Bell says, we need to get down there and look.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Science Advances. How little we’ve seen: A visual coverage estimate of the deep seafloorAvery Hurt is a freelance science journalist. In addition to writing for Discover, she writes regularly for a variety of outlets, both print and online, including National Geographic, Science News Explores, Medscape, and WebMD. She’s the author of Bullet With Your Name on It: What You Will Probably Die From and What You Can Do About It, Clerisy Press 2007, as well as several books for young readers. Avery got her start in journalism while attending university, writing for the school newspaper and editing the student non-fiction magazine. Though she writes about all areas of science, she is particularly interested in neuroscience, the science of consciousness, and AI–interests she developed while earning a degree in philosophy.1 free article leftWant More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/monthSubscribeAlready a subscriber?Register or Log In1 free articleSubscribeWant more?Keep reading for as low as $1.99!SubscribeAlready a subscriber?Register or Log In

If you've ever wondered where loofahs come from, take a trip with us.   Image: Penpak Ngamsathain / Getty Images Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. If you’ve spent most of your life under the impression that loofahs are some type of sea sponge and that these scratchy natural scrubbers are the last thing you’d want to use on your body on a daily basis, you’re not alone. But in fact, the Luffa Aegyptiaca (often known as loofah in the U.S.) is the taxonomic name of a species of gourd that grows on land, and it’s a genetic descendant of the wild cucumber. What’s more, if it’s locally grown with minimal processing, it’s plenty soft enough for not just your skin, but plenty of other applications, too. What is a luffa? In the States, you’d be excused for not being familiar with this unique plant, as luffa is far more popular in Asia and tropical regions. In fact, very few farmers grow the plant commercially for the American market—there are just two farms in the country and, according to Brooklynn Gamble, farm supervisor at The Luffa Farm in Nipomo, California, both are located in the West Coast state. But the plant isn’t endemic to countries this far north, so cultivating it requires lots of care and attention. Luffa plants growing on vines at The Luffa Farm. Image: Courtesy of The Luffa Farm Fortunately, luffa farmer Deanne Coon was willing to offer both, which is how The Luffa Farm was born in 2000 after growing the plant as part of a friend’s biology class experiment and then spending nearly two decades experimenting. Thanks to Nipomo’s location in a decidedly non-tropical climate, Coon had to account for things like cooler seasons (she grows in greenhouses), coastal winds (also greenhouses) and gophers (she grows plants in pots instead of directly in the ground).  Now semi-retired, she and a team run the small farm peppered with avocado and citrus trees and decorated with quirky custom yard art. They also offer tours during open hours so visitors can learn a little something about luffa. Guests saunter through a steamy greenhouse where long green gourds that resemble zucchini hang from trellises in impressive quantities. They learn that while some Asian cultures raise smaller varieties that are green, tender, and edible when young, it’s not popular as a culinary ingredient in the U.S. And when they inquire about why crispy brown gourds are still hanging on the vine, they learn that luffa isn’t harvested until well after you think it’s dead. “When it’s completely brown and dry we cut it off the vine,” Gamble explains. Only then, and after it is peeled, will it finally be recognizable as the fibrous exfoliating sponge many know and love. In areas of Asia, the luffa fruit is used in culinary dishes. Image: Courtesy of The Luffa Farm It’s what’s on the inside that matters Getting to that point, however, takes time and unique biological functions that aren’t visible to the naked eye. It takes six to nine months after planting luffa seeds for them to be ready to harvest, Gamble explains (longer in winter, shorter in summer). It takes three to four months just for slim green baby gourds to start sprouting from reaching vines and the male flowers, which are necessary for pollination, to bloom.  Once that happens and pollination is complete, the squash are technically edible and ripe for picking. The inner fruit tends to be slimy like okra, so it’s a bit of an acquired taste. However, there are certainly recipes from around the world that incorporate this nutritional veggie. But The Luffa Farm isn’t in the business of unpopular produce, so the fruit is left on the vine where it can grow as large and heavy as the trellised vines can handle, Gamble continues. As that happens, the interior plant fibers act as the veins that feed water and nutrients to the seeds, the care of which is the plant’s number one directive. Those veins get thicker and denser to nourish the seeds as the gourd grows. When the gourd gets too big—about the size of an oversized zucchini—the vine, which can grow 30 to 40 feet in any direction, cuts off the water supply to the whole fruit in order to redistribute resources to other plants on the vine that are still growing. “As the vine sucks the water out and recycles it, [the gourd] dries up,” Gamble describes. When that happens, instead of rotting like most other produce, the luffa turns from deep green to yellow to brown and hard. When that happens, the gourd feels light as air because all the liquid and vegetable matter has dried up, leaving only a fibrous network of cellulose inside the now-hard, shell-like skin. That’s when it’s time to harvest. The skin is cracked open and the seeds, which can be replanted, are shaken out. Harvesters soak the whole gourd in water for five minutes, which rehydrates the thin layer of vegetable residue on the underside and then “the skin so it slides right off,” Gamble says. What’s left over is an airy, light, sponge-like spidery network of plant fibers that make an excellent natural multi-purpose sponge that’s pliable when dry and even softer when wet. That’s what makes it such an attractive option among skincare enthusiasts. Not all luffa are created equal If that doesn’t sound at all like the rigid, compressed luffa you see for sale at your local health food store, you’re not wrong. Most luffa are imported, and since they’re a plant, they must be treated beforehand to ensure they won’t transport bugs, disease, or other agricultural blights, Gamble explains.  “Those heat treatments in particular are what damage the fibers,” she states. It shrinks the otherwise light and loose cellulose structures and makes the luffa hard, compact, and less pliable. Compromising the structure also makes them more prone to bacterial growth, because they don’t dry out as easily or completely between uses. Luffas grown and sold at The Luffa Farm. Image: Courtesy of The Luffa Farm Luffa grown in the U.S., like the ones from The Luffa Farm, don’t have to be treated with anything since they’re not imported from overseas. They just get a quick rinse before they’re sold. As a result, they’re softer, more pleasant on skin, more versatile, and longer lasting. One might last up to a year of regular use. Plus, because they’re highly porous, “they don’t create the same breeding ground for bacteria,” Gamble offers. A plant with unlimited uses But exfoliating isn’t all these plants are good for. On the contrary, Gamble says there are many uses for luffa. Softer varieties can be used as a facial sponge in place of a washcloth. They can even be tossed in the washer for a deep clean, though you should avoid putting them in the dryer. They make excellent dish sponges and pot scrubbers. Gamble uses one on her stainless steel stove.  A wet luffa makes quick work of washing your car, too, especially when it comes to scrubbing bugs off your grill, Gamble recommends. The fibers won’t even scratch the finish. They’ve even been used as insulation in mud brick houses and as industrial filters and may have inspired a sunlight-powered porous hydrogel that could potentially purify water. The best part: untreated luffa sponges are compostable, making them an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic sponges. “They are so unique as a plant,” Gamble says, a truly multifunctional and sustainable natural product whose uses go far beyond bath time exfoliation. And yes, it’s one that grows on land, not underwater.

Male stolon (right hand side): one of the independent reproductive units of a branching marine worm, growing at the tip of a branch of the worm’s body. It has sprouted eyes and will go swimming free to find a stolon of the opposite sex with which to reproduce. CREDIT: Maria Teresa Aguado/Guillermo Ponz-Segrelles. Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Even among the numerous gnarly animals swimming, crawling, and “flying” through the world’s oceans, the branching marine worm (Ramisyllis kingghidorahi) has a very interesting reproductive style.  Named after Godzilla’s three-headed nemesis, King Ghidorah, the worm lives inside of sea sponges in the Sea of Japan and reproduces by growing multiple body branches within the host sponge. Each of these tails can then produce separate living reproductive units called stolons—which can grow eyes. The stolons themselves do not live too long and break off from the branches to swim away to mate.  Close-up of a female stolon–one of the independent reproductive units–from the worm Ramisyllis kingghidorahi. It has already sprouted eyes and is swimming free to find a stolon of the opposite sex with which to reproduce. Total length of the stolon: approx. 1.5 millimetres. CREDIT: Maria Teresa Aguado/Guillermo Ponz-Segrelles. How this spindly animal can coordinate sexual reproduction with so many stolons across so many branches has puzzled scientists since its discovery in 2021 and 2022. We may have an answer though. The genes that control eye formation might be particularly active in Ramisyllis, which helps make more stolons, according to a study recently published in the journal BMC Genomics.  In the new study, the team analyzed the gene expression across the different body regions on male, female, and juvenile specimens. This created a complete genetic activity map–or transcriptome. With this genetic activity map in tow, the team saw some clear patterns. The differences in gene activity were more pronounced between the different body regions in the same worm than they were between the sexes. When comparing males with females, the stolons had the most distinctive genetic signatures. This likely reflects the stolons’ specialized role in gamete production and metamorphosis.  “We were surprised to find that the head of the worm, which was previously thought to house a sex-specific control system, didn’t show the dramatic differences we expected between males and females,” Guillermo Ponz-Segrelles, a study co-author  and neuroscientist with the Autonomous University of Madrid, said in a statement. “Instead, the stolons emerged as the true hotspots of gene activity during sexual development.” When looking into what’s behind the stolon eyes, the team found that there is upregulation of the genes related to eye development. Upregulation is the process by which genes are activated and produce more of the proteins corresponding with a certain gene’s function. This genetic upregulation could help Ramisyllis develop more of the eyes on their many stolons.  There could also be partial genome duplication in Ramisyllis, which may help explain why this worm has such a complex anatomy and reproductive system. Either way, it is equipped with a very unique genetic toolkit.  “This worm and its surreal, tree-like body made headlines around the world in 2021 and 2022, yet it continues to amaze us,” added Thilo Schulze, a study co-author and PhD candidate at Göttingen University in The Netherlands.” It challenges our understanding of how animal bodies can be organized, and how such strange forms of reproduction are orchestrated at the molecular level.”  Since numerous parts of branching worms’ reproductive biology remain a mystery, the team hopes the genetic tree from this study will help show how life evolves in some of the ocean’s hidden spots. 

Antipatharians, or black corals, are named for their jet-black skeletons, but they can actually be quite colorful. Photo by ROV SuBastian Among Newly Discovered Ocean Species, a Baby Colossal Squid Is Filmed for the First Time May 16, 2025 NatureScience Kate Mothes An archipelago in the South Atlantic known as the South Sandwich Islands is home to some of the most remote landmasses in the world. Uninhabited except for occasional scientific research, their volcanic makeup highlights the geological and ecological diversity of this part of the world, and we still have much to learn. Schmidt Ocean Institute (previously) recently completed a 35-day trek on the Falkor (too) to the remote island chain and discovered new hydrothermal vents, coral gardens, and what researchers suspect to be entirely new species. During this expedition, the team also confirmed the sighting of a juvenile colossal squid, capturing one on film for the first time. “Colossal squid are estimated to grow up to 23 feet in length and can weigh as much as 1,100 pounds, making them the heaviest invertebrate on the planet,” the institute says, noting the significance of the documentation because the animals have only ever been found dead, after they’ve washed ashore or been eaten by predators. “Little is known about the colossal squid’s life cycle, but eventually, they lose the see-through appearance of the juveniles,” says a statement. “Dying adults have previously been filmed by fishermen but have never been seen alive at depth.” This recent expedition forms part of the Nippon Foundation–Nekton Ocean Census program, the largest initiative working to expedite the discovery of ocean life. During the voyage, the team weathered tropical storm-force winds with hurricane-level gusts, 26-foot waves, icebergs, and a subsea earthquake. Ocean Census scientists focused on discovering new species, documenting corals, sponges, sea urchins, snails, sea stars, and benthic ctenophores—commonly called comb jellies or sea gooseberries. The team will announce the exact number of new species later this year after taxonomic experts verify their findings. This is the first confirmed live observation of the colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, in its natural habitat. Photo by ROV SuBastian “The 35 days at sea were an exciting rollercoaster of scientific discovery, the implications of which will be felt for many years to come as discoveries filter into management action,” says Dr. Michelle Taylor, head of science and expedition principal investigator for the Ocean Census. She adds, “This is exactly why the Ocean Census exists—to accelerate our understanding of ocean life before it’s too late.” See more on the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s website. A sea cucumber recorded at 649.45 metres at Saunders East, in waters measuring +0.51°C (about 33°F) A “ping pong” sponge (Chondrocladia sp.) is documented on a seafloor bank west of South Georgia Island This isopod was found during a dive at 470 metres depth at Saunders East, with a water temperature of +0.54°C (about 33°F) A vibrant grouping of coral, documented on Humpback Seamount A nudibranch observed at 268 metres on the eastern side of Montagu Island, where temperatures hovered at +0.35°C (about 32.6°F) A Brisingid — a type of deep-sea starfish — perches on a ledge among many brittle stars (ophiuroids) at a site east of Saunders Island Basket stars, a type of echinoderm, are abundant on seamounts and rocky outcroppings; ROV pilots recorded this observation at 673 meters during a dive on a bank west of South Georgia Island A crustacean from the Antarcturidae family found at 331.61 metres at Saunders East, where the temperature measured +0.5°C (about 33°F), seen here perched on a sea pen Research Vessel Falkor (too) conducts studies off the South Sandwich Islands, including a site close to Montagu Island. The South Sandwich Islands area is extremely active volcanically Previous articleNext article

XrossExam Member Nov 1, 2017 2,171 I'm a big FromSoftware fan, I pretty much buy any new release from them. I've been keeping my eye on Nightreign since its announcement (didn't get into the beta to try it though) but I'm finding it hard to justify getting it. I'm still on the fence but I'm leaning towards skipping it entirely. There are many factors for me as to why I think I'll be skipping it, one major reason is that I was able to secure a Switch 2 pre-order and given that the Switch 2 comes out a mere 6 days after Nightreign's release I find that if I bought Nightreign, that I would play it until the Switch 2 comes out and then completely forget about it. Another reason for me is that I feel like the game will get boring and doing runs will just become repetitive after a while. I do think it's hard to know for sure but something about the multiplayer focused aspect of it is a turn off for me compared to a traditional FromSoft game. The other aspect of this related to my previous point is the fact that FromSoftware are also currently developing The Duskbloods, which seems to be the true/fleshed out vision of Nightreign but in a different world. I'd almost rather just wait for The Duskbloods (which is being directed by the GOAT (Hidetaka Miyazaki) than sinking time into Nightreign which I feel like may be dropped by most players after a few months. I'm not trying to be negative about the game's release as it doesn't look like a bad game by any stretch, it looks quite good for what it is. I was just curious what others thought and if others are feeling the same way or are instead super hyped about the game? I would love to hear what people think, especially diehard FromSoftware fans.  carlsojo Shinra Employee Member Oct 28, 2017 37,429 San Francisco Honestly I am so burned out on the game I can't imagine going back again.   PlanetSmasher The Abominable Showman Member Oct 25, 2017 132,494 The network test really didn't do anything for me and I don't really think the core structure of the game as a multiplayer-only title holds any long-term appeal. So yeah, I'm probably skipping it unless something changes markedly between now and launch.   super-famicom Avenger Oct 26, 2017 30,385 I love Elden Ring, but don't want to play a MP only game mode. Yes, I know I can just go in solo, but how far is that gonna get me? Plus, the game is designed around MP anyways.   Bigmac Member Oct 27, 2017 521 I am for sure. The multiplayer aspect just isn't really my thing, I'll wait patiently for their next single player epic.   Coyote Starrk The Fallen Oct 30, 2017 62,907 Diehard fan here. I will be there day 0 and play on dumping a LOT of time into the game if it's as fun as it seems in the trailers.  Lukar Unshakable Resolve - Prophet of Truth Member Oct 27, 2017 28,088 Really depends on how well it's received closer to launch. I'm not fully sold on it yet, and I'm disappointed I won't be able to play with just one other person.   Tagyhag Member Oct 27, 2017 15,093 Yeah, it's the same as with Duskbloods, I'm more interested in watching streamers play them than playing them myself. Will just wait for the next "Main" game.  Nameless Hero Member Oct 25, 2017 23,320 I have zero interest in a multiplayer run based Souls game so unless my friends all get this I will definitely skip it   Killyoh Member Oct 28, 2017 1,782 Paris, France I'm waiting for the reviews. I enjoyed the beta but I'm not sure I would play more than five hours.   Zeal543 Next Level Seer Member May 15, 2020 7,155 I'm burned out on the souls formula with ER/SotE so on top of this being pvpve iit's an easy skip for me (same with duskbloods)   Gavalanche Prophet of Regret Member Oct 21, 2021 25,713 Yeah for sure. Elden Ring is great, I got enough of it without playing a weird rogue-like multiplayer mode.   SnipeyMcGee Member Jul 1, 2020 321 Zero interest in it, I'm not a fan of their current direction.   J_ToSaveTheDay "This guy are sick" and Corrupted by Vengeance Avenger Oct 25, 2017 22,494 USA I'm planning to skip it, but there's one friend who could put in a good word about it that I'd end up picking the game up to play coop with. That friend is the only person that's going to convince me to play it, though.  Bulgowski Member Apr 8, 2022 665 I'm in for Duskbloods but skipping this one.   Barrel Cannon It's Pronounced "Aerith" The Fallen Oct 25, 2017 11,096 I won't at launch but if m23 gets it I will   skeezx Member Oct 27, 2017 23,674 looks fun but not really my thing if it still has a playerbase in a few years and it's on sale, maybe  Noisepurge Corrupted by Vengeance Member Oct 25, 2017 9,740 Skipping indeed. It seems antithetical to (at least my) Elden Ring. Where you get to wonder the world, make your character and go on adventures. Here you choose a premade hero class, and gotta HAUL ASS all the time because there isn't any time to take in the scenery! 😂  teed Member Aug 25, 2023 1,039 I thought I'd give it a go when it was announced but a month or so later, I thought nah no point. I'd be playing solo so there are much more suitable games I haven't got around to yet (like Nioh 2). I not interested in Duskbloods either and didn't like AC6 very much, so I don't really think of it as skipping, as, even though they're probably my favourite dev, I've lost the expectation that I will be into everything they put out.  RoboPlato Member Oct 25, 2017 8,322 I wanted to play it but no crossplay kind of kills it for me. Most people I'd play with are on Xbox or PC while PS5 is my main console. No two-player option, only 1 or 3, is frustrating too. I think the game looks pretty cool but those are huge missteps.  Citizen Rizer Member Oct 27, 2017 292 Skipping both Nightreign and Duskbloods. Multiplayer-focused From is hopefully just a phase.   Musubi Unshakable Resolve - Prophet of Truth Member Oct 25, 2017 27,419 Too much else coming out this year for me to spend time on a mid-ass multiplayer game   harinezumi Member Oct 27, 2017 20,485 Buenos Aires, Argentina I'd totally buy it if my friends bought it too, but since it looks like they won't I probably won't either. Zero interest in playing with randoms.   modernkicks Member Apr 7, 2020 393 I'm glad I got to play the network test because it confirmed it's probably not going to be my thing even though I did have a little bit of fun in it. It just seemed like it would get old pretty fast to me but obviously the full game could be a different story. Going to wait and see what some of my friends who are getting it day 1 think and then I might join in but as of now I'm going to hold off.   Cruxist Avenger Oct 27, 2017 4,735 Nope. I love the combat and the speed from the beta was super fun. I also love the idea of crafting a build on the fly. Can't wait!  Dyno AVALANCHE The Fallen Oct 25, 2017 16,729 Easy pass on this and Duskbloods. Tbh I'm kinda growing tired of the formula in general for their games so ER may have been the end of the line for me in general   BigHatSean Member Apr 21, 2025 12 Nope because it was cheap enough, ended up getting it for about £22? I like ER even if the boss fights are the worst thing about it, but the 40ish minute length makes for a nice session on an exercise bike or something while playing.   Sire Red Member Feb 11, 2025 123 France Liked the beta when it worked well, but given how packed the week after will be + the nature of the game, I'm good with not playing more of it.   Nimby Member Oct 27, 2017 4,429 Zeal543 said: I'm burned out on the souls formula with ER/SotE so on top of this being pvpve iit's an easy skip for me (same with duskbloods) Click to expand... Click to shrink... Nightreign is just PvE isn't it? I'm still on the fence and all my time is dedicated to playing The Hundred Line right now. If my friends are interested I might try it. Regardless, I'm okay waiting for the next main Souls game.  Retrosmith Member Mar 2, 2020 1,019 If the main bosses are manageable to beat solo, for sure I will buy it. If they are just damage sponges, nah. Not going to rely on strangers online for a chance to have fun.  DontHateTheBacon Unshakable Resolve Member Oct 27, 2017 14,409 I don't really play co-op games often so yeah, I'll just wait for the next single player joint from them.   makman3x Member Apr 18, 2025 280 I have no friends so I'll probably pass unless reviews indicate the solo experience is fine.   DNAbro Member Oct 25, 2017 29,980 My friends are all going getting it, so not skipping.   CupOfDoom Member Dec 17, 2017 5,134 No two player, no buy.   Crankafoo Member Dec 3, 2018 162 Canada I almost never play multiplayer solo and don't have anyone in my group getting it, so big skip for me. Next singleplayer game they do I'm day 1, though.   Gots Member Feb 20, 2019 1,882 Canada I'll skip this for now, will probably grab Duskbloods though.   Slick Butter Member Oct 25, 2017 3,655 It looks fun as hell and it seems like an interesting smaller arcade-y title for people who just want more reason to play a FROM souls with friends. Also will be cool to experience what kind of experiments they are doing to shake up their combat for their Souls games further. Hopefully wherever they take Souls next will take a lot of what they learn from making this and The Duskbloods to make the combat more interesting and online functionality better. Zeal543 said: I'm burned out on the souls formula with ER/SotE so on top of this being pvpve iit's an easy skip for me (same with duskbloods) Click to expand... Click to shrink... This literally is breaking the Souls formula and doing something different with its core gameplay (though I understand it also is using mostly existing Elden Ring assets). Also, it's only PvE.  StarPhlox Member Oct 25, 2017 5,512 Wisconsin I was so excited at the reveal and I am definitely still very much open to it but lack of cross play and not having friends on PS5 that are big Souls people (they all play on PC) makes it a tough proposition.   closer Member Oct 25, 2017 5,519 Im pretty excited to play it   Drachen Member May 3, 2021 8,471 Yeah, I personally am skipping it. The thing with From Soft's Souls games is that the total package is what draws me in. The roleplaying, the combat and bosses, the exploration, the lore and worldbuilding, the characters and quests, and so on. Plucking out just the combat and building an entire roguelike game around that doesn't really do anything for me when the rest of the formula is missing.   Naha- Member Feb 6, 2019 1,515 After Shadow of the Erdtree, I'm pretty much done with anything Elden Ring related. Duskbloods will also be a skip if it's main feature is being a MP game too. Maybe I should finally get Sekiro instead.  Rainer516 Member Oct 29, 2017 1,478 Really looking forward to playing it.   MangoUltz "This guy are sick" Member Mar 24, 2019 4,074 Ya I'm skipping it. Loved Elden Ring but I'm not into the multiplayer/online aspect of this. I'll have a good time watching some streams of it though   Deranged Hermit Member Oct 25, 2017 5,426 I'll probably try it but it's not really in my lane and that's okay. Let From do what they want, they've earned it.   hog Member Mar 9, 2021 1,127 Not sure how much I'll like it but I love Elden Ring too much to skip out on any new Elden Ring stuff. Plus this kind of thing is best to get in on while it's fresh.   SirKai Member Dec 28, 2017 10,118 Washington Nah, I'm still pretty excited for it, especially since it's budget-priced.   blainethemono Member Oct 27, 2017 650 Since the release of Demons Souls i've enjoyed every game From Software has released but Im very closed off with experimenting with different weapons and builds on a single character. I generally just stick with 1 or 2 weapons my first time through one of these games and never really experienced other playstyles other than the ones I fell into as a result of whatever choices I made in the early game. I always enjoyed seeing other people's builds and all the stuff you could do that I never interacted with, especially in Elden Ring Then I played the Nightreign test and it kind of opened my eyes to the type of experimentation i've never done before. You get dropped on the map with your squad, there's random loot everywhere and you have to throw something together. One of the people in the squad keeps running off by themselves and you feel like you can't sit there thinking about it for an hour, you just have to make a choice and keep going. There are comparatively fewer choices to be made but it's still fun messing around with unfamiliar weapon types That's a different mode of playing these games than i'm used to and after experiencing it I now want to install a randomizer for Dark Souls 1 lol. Also was inspired enough by the network test to play sorcery builds in DS1 and Elden Ring over the last few months since i've never actually done that. It brought me back to replaying the series. Been trying to get a few friends together to play Seamless Really excited to play the full game with some friends now  Last edited: Monday at 2:50 PM Optional Objectives Member Oct 27, 2017 3,516 It looks fun - I really liked the details in the recent preview video - and I love multiplayer in From's games. But I also look around and think that I won't have much of a squad to play it with. I was barely able to connect with what used to be a really active group for Monster Hunter. If we couldn't get it together for that, I doubt we will for Nightreign. And without a crew to play it with, I might as well play one of From's single-player games, instead. I still have a few, including Elden Ring, left unfinished.   ghibli99 Member Oct 27, 2017 20,459 I was, but after that last video I'm in. Hopefully I'm making the right choice. LOL   KingFrost92 Member Oct 26, 2017 1,124 Oregon I've got friends who I played the Elden Ring co-op mod with and loved it. But even with that experience, I'm waiting on reviews and player feedback for this one. It could be great, but I'm not curious enough to pre-order or anything like that. I'd love to hear that it's actually amazing and dive in with some friends though.  

The International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia,  has returned, with its grand opening held in early May. The exhibition runs until November 23, 2025 The Canada Council for the Arts, Commissioner of Canada’s official participation in the International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, administers the selection process and oversees the exhibition at the Canada Pavilion. But in addition to the Canada Pavilion, Canadian architects and designers have a presence in several other exhibitions that are part of this year’s festival. Here’s a round-up of the Canadian work in Venice. Picoplanktonics. Photo credit: Valentina Mori Picoplanktonics led by Living Room Collective Canada’s official entry to the Biennale is Picoplanktonics, a 3D-printed living artwork incorporating cyanobacteria—a global first at the intersection of architecture, biotechnology, and art. The exhibition, developed by the Living Room Collective, showcases the potential for collaboration between humans and nature. Picoplanktonics is an exploration of the potential to co-operate with living systems by co-constructing spaces that “remediate the planet rather than exploit it.” The installation transforms the Canada Pavilion into an aquatic micro-ecosystem, where architectural structures grow, evolve, and naturally degrade alongside their living components. It was designed according to regenerative architecture principles, and is not only a built object, but also a breathing organism interacting with its environment, which prompts reflection on potential futures of the built environment. The creative team is led by bio-designer Andrea Shin Ling, alongside core team members Nicholas Hoban, Vincent Hui and Clayton Lee. Etude Ile Verte by Atelier Pierre Thibault. Photo credit Alex Lesage Les boucaneries de l’île Verte by Atelier Pierre Thibault Atelier Pierre Thibault has been invited to participate in this year’s Venice Biennale as the only team from Québec. His project is inspired by the old fish smokehouses, or boucaneries, of Île Verte. With the support of the fifty permanent residents of Île Verte, Atelier Pierre Thibault has designed a participatory architectural project that aims to reinterpret the boucaneries as creative canvases to imagine new uses to strengthen Île Verte’s autonomy. This includes community greenhouses, artist studios, and gathering places. The exhibition aims to highlight, as Thibault puts it, “the strength of a sensitive and collective gesture in response to the erosion of traditional buildings and the major climate challenges faced by inhabitants living year-round in an isolated island environment.” The construction of the installations, along with the exchanges sparked with the community, was documented through photography and video, and captures both the process and the spirit of collaboration that defined the project. Celebrating the Verdoyants’ collective intelligence and inviting reflection on the future of the boucaneries, this participatory project highlights the exemplary and internationally resonant nature of this approach. The Atelier Pierre Thibault project will be on view at the Corderie dell’Arsenale. The pavilion itself will take the form of a temporary, lightweight structure constructed from reused materials, situated on the grounds of the French Pavilion, which is currently undergoing renovation. The curators have selected 50 projects to be featured across six thematic sections: Living With the Existing, the Immediate, the Broken, Vulnerabilities, Nature, and Combined Intelligences. Image courtesy of WZMH Architects Speedstac by WZMH Architects as part of Living With…Combined Intelligences  As part of the exhibition “Living With… Combined Intelligences,” WZMH Architects presents Speedstac, a prefabricated modular precast solution that aims to reimagine how urban areas devastated by war can be rebuilt. Originally designed to accelerate housing construction in Canada, Speedstac took on urgent new relevance following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. With more than 170,000 buildings damaged or destroyed and millions displaced, WZMH’s innovation, developed through its R&D lab, sparkbird, aims to offer a scalable solution: self-contained, plug-and-play building modules with integrated electrical and plumbing systems that can be seamlessly inserted into existing structures. The use of modern materials such as high-performance concrete can reduce the weight of the modules, making them easier to lift and move using conventional crane equipment. Using a robust locking mechanism, several modules can be securely fastened and unfastened as needed, to produce an adaptive modular housing solution. The Speedstac system aims to offer a solution to the challenges of traditional construction methods, enabling faster, more flexible, and more sustainable building projects. The Vivre Avec / Living With exhibition is hosted in the French Pavilion. Presentation, Northern Horizons. Photo credit: Blouin Orzes architectes Northern Horizons by Blouin Orzes architectes as part of Time Space Existence  Through a wide selection of projects—ranging from conceptual works, models and photographs to videos, sculptures and site-specific installations—the exhibition Time Space Existence, hosted by the European Cultural Centre, aims to provoke participants to question their relationship with space and time, re-envisioning new ways of living and rethinking architecture through a larger lens. Quebec firm Blouin Orzes’ participation revolves around their first-hand understanding of Inuit territories, where they have been working since 2000. Their contribution is based on their  recent publication, Northern Journeys. Blouin Orzes’ contribution in on display at the Palazzo Mora, and additional contributions to Time Space Existence are on view at the Palazzo Bembo and Marinaressa Gardens. View of Commercial and Residential Towers from Seymour and West Georgia Streets. Image credit: Henriquez Partners Studio BC Glass Sea Sponge Another contribution to Time Space Existence is the work of Henriquez Partners Studio. The transformative mixed-use development which they are presenting merges architectural innovation, social responsibility and urban revitalization, and has recently been submitted to the City of Vancouver. The project is about ambitious city-building, and aims to unlock public benefits on currently underutilized land in a way that supports some of the city’s most urgent needs, while contributing bold architecture to the city skyline. Four towers, designed by Henriquez, draw inspiration from rare and ancient glass sea sponge reefs, whose ecological strength and resilience have shaped both form and structure. These living marine organisms, which are unique to the Pacific Northwest, aim to serve as a metaphor for regeneration and adaptation. This concept is translated through the architectural language of the towers: silhouettes, sculptural forms, and sustainable performance. The tallest tower, a stand-alone hotel, proposed at 1,033 feet, is shaped by a structural diagrid exoskeleton that allows for column-free interiors while maximizing strength and minimizing material use. Developed in collaboration with Arup, the structural system references the skeletal lattice of sea sponges; a concept researched at Harvard for its groundbreaking structural efficiency. Henriquez Partners’  contribution is on display at Palazzo Bembo. Renewal Development Shishalh Project Duplex Renderings – Image credit: Renewal Development Shíshálh Nation: Ten Home Rescue Project as part of theLiving With / Vivre avec exhibition Vancouver-based company Renewal Development has been selected to appear as part of the French Pavilion’s exhibition on housing innovation. In 2024, Renewal Development partnered with developer Wesgroup and the shíshálh Nation to relocate ten high value Port Moody homes set for demolition to the shíshálh Nation on the Sunshine Coast. The Nation has been experiencing an acute housing shortage with 900 Nation members currently on a waitlist for housing. Renewal Development says that this initiative reflects its “deeply held values of sustainability, and reconciliation” and its “work to offer real-world solutions to waste and housing shortages by reimagining what already exists.” The project will be on display in the French Pavilion. The following is a list of other Canadian groups and individuals contributing to this year’s Venice Biennale: On Storage Brendan Cormier is a Canadian writer, curator, and urban designer based in London. He is currently the lead curator of 20th and 21st Century Design for the Shekou Partnership at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Prior to this he served as the managing editor of Volume Magazine. La Biennale di Venezia and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London present for the ninth consecutive year the Applied Arts Pavilion Special Project titled On Storage, curated by Brendan Cormier, in collaboration with Diller, Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R). It explores the global architecture of storage in service of the circulation of things, and features a newly commissioned six-channel film directed by DS+R. From Liquid to Stone: A Reconfigurable Concrete Tectonic Against Obsolescence Inge Donovan, based in Boston, achieved her Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Design and Architectural History, Theory and Criticism from the Daniels Faculty of Architecture at the University of Toronto in 2019 after growing up in Nova Scotia, Canada. The Curse of Dimensionality Adeline Chum is currently a Graduate Research Assistant at the Center for Spatial Research and third-year student in the MArch Program at GSAPP. She has received her Bachelor of Architectural Studies from the University of Waterloo, Canada and has worked in small and medium-sized architecture firms in Toronto, New York, and London. Oceanic Refractions Elise Misao Hunchuck, born in Toronto and currently based Berlin and Milan, is a transdisciplinary researcher, editor, writer, and educator. Her practice brings together architecture, landscape architecture, and media studies to research sites in Canada, Japan, China, and Ukraine, employing text, images, and cartographies to document, explore, and archive the co-constitutive relationships between plants, animals, and minerals—in all of their forms. SpaceSuits.Us: A Case for Ultra Thin Adjustments Charles Kim is a designer currently based in Boston. Stemming from his background in architecture, he is interested in materials, DIY, and the aesthetics of affordability. Since graduating from Harvard Graduate School of Design in 2022, he has been working as an architectural designer at Utile. Uncommon Knowledge: Plants as Sensors Sonia Sobrino Ralston is a designer, researcher, and educator, and is currently an Assistant Teaching Professor in Landscape Architecture and Art + Design at Northeastern University in the College of Arts, Media, and Design. She is interested in the intersections between landscape, architecture, and the history of technology. Doxiadis’ Informational Modernism Mark Wasiuta is Senior Lecturer in Architecture at Columbia GSAPP and Co-Director of the Critical, Curatorial and Conceptual Practices in Architecture program. Wasiuta is recipient of recent grants from the Onassis Foundation, the Asian Cultural Council, NYSCA, and the Graham Foundation, where he was an inaugural Graham Foundation Fellow. Blue Garden: The Architecture of Emergence Tanvi Khurmi, based in London, UK, is a multidisciplinary designer and artist. Her practice is focused on addressing and combatting issues surrounding the climate crisis. After receiving a Bachelor’s in Architecture with a minor in Environmental Studies from the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture at the University of Toronto, she earned a Masters of Architecture in Bio-Integrated Design at the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London. Design as an Astronaut Dr. Cody Paige is the Director of the Space Exploration Initiative at the MIT Media Lab, a team of 50+ students, faculty, and staff building and flying advanced technology for space exploration. The Initiative focuses on helping students take their research into space. The pipeline developed to achieve this works with students from across the Media Lab and the MIT community to prototype space-related research in the lab, fly and test them in microgravity on parabolic and suborbital flights, and finally to take them to the International Space Station or on to the Moon. Cody also has a background in geology, specifically quaternary geochronology, and completed her Master of Applied Science at the University of Toronto in Aerospace Engineering and her Bachelor of Applied Science from Queen’s University in Engineering Physics.   The post Round-up: Canadian-led exhibitions at the 2025 Venice Biennale appeared first on Canadian Architect.