2017 was a disastrous year for the North Atlantic right whale and 2018 looks no better. In fact, it could be worse. Last year 17 North Atlantic right whales, died which is more than died in the past five years combined. Even worse, during this year’s breeding season, which typically runs from November through February, no newly-born calves have been sighted.
The Boston Globe quotes Barb Zoodsma, a biologist who oversees the right whale recovery program in the Southeast for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “This is the worst-case scenario. This season appears to be a total bomb. You don’t have to be a math major to see that things are going in the wrong direction.”
Last weekend, gold ingots and coins valued at $40 million salvaged from the wreck of the 
Around 1779, a portrait of two young women was commissioned by 
Here is a story well worth retelling. An updated repost from 2012. The remarkable story of Robert Smalls.
For years, naturalists have found the shells of giant shipworms, but have not located the giant shipworm itself. Last spring, that changed. Giant shipworms were discovered buried in the mud in a Philippine mangrove swamp. 
The timeline for when humans first took to the seas keeps getting moved back. A few years ago, stone tools were found on the 
A 30′ long stump of what is probably a hemlock tree has been floating vertically, bobbing up and down, in 
Yesterday, we posted about four barrels of rum from Lunenburg’s 
When the barque 
Joseph Conrad once wrote about a conversation with an old sailor who had just signed off a ship. The sailor said something to the effect that “the ship was alright. The problem was the people on it.” The comment seems to apply to a recent 10-day South Pacific cruise on the 
In October of last year, 
One hundred and twenty years ago today, on February 15, 1898, a mysterious explosion ripped through the hull of the American battleship USS Maine, at anchor in Havana harbor in Cuba. The ship sank killing 266 of the 350 men aboard. The loss of the USS Maine heightened the tension between the United States and Spain. Cuba was a Spanish colony and the island was gripped in a rebellion against Spain. USS Maine was in Havanna to protect U.S. interests. 
