Acetabularia jalakanyakae is one of the largest known single-celled organisms and is nicknamed the 'mermaid's wineglass' for its umbrella-shaped cap.

The world's largest species of marine algae is giant kelp, which can grow as much as two feet per day from depths of about 100 feet up to the ocean surface.

View a gallery of diatoms—algae surrounded by glass-like shells—captured via microscope.

Some organisms are composed of a single cell visible to the naked eye

By incorporating tough, cellulose-rich cell walls, rapid movement of molecules via cytoplasmic streaming, and other biological techniques, some unicellular organisms can bypass the physical limitations that restrict the size of cells. Organisms such as the Stentor coeruleus and Acetabularia can be seen without microscopes.

The cells of spotted salamander embryos and early-stage larvae harbor algae that support embryonic development by increasing oxygen levels and removing waste.

Despite being multicellular and photosynthetic, organisms such as kelp and sea moss are macroalgae, not plants, because they lack specialized roots and stems to pump water.

Meet siphonophores, breathtaking jellyfish-like organisms

Siphonophores are colonial jelly-like creatures made up of specialized segments that work together as one. They're fairly unknown despite being a significant sea predator. Sink into their strange beauty with this video.

Massive blooms of microscopic algae called dinoflagellates produce the neon blue light seen in glowing tides.

Algae can capture carbon dioxide at rates up to 50 times faster than land-based plants and can be grown in tanks that use one-tenth the land footprint of terrestrial plants.

As of 2026, the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt is the world's largest macroalgal bloom, with seaweed stretching from the Caribbean to West Africa.

The Turritopsis dohrnii jellyfish can reverse its life cycle

Discovered in the 1980s, this creature has been dubbed the "immortal jellyfish" for its ability to revert from medusa to polyp form and back, preventing it from dying of old age. However, the jellyfish remains prey to fish and turtles and is defenseless to sea slugs as a polyp.

One jellyfish species is biologically immortal

Turritopsis dohrnii is a type of jellyfish that can revert back to a juvenile stage after reaching sexual maturity, theoretically allowing it to stay alive for good. But that's a tough sell in a world full of predators. See this list of some of the longest-living species on Earth.

Harmful algal blooms can occur in warm, nutrient-rich, stagnant waters and are often associated with the rapid reproduction of blue-green algae—a misnomer for cyanobacteria, not algae.

'Watermelon snow'—patches of pink, orange, and red in snow—is the result of extremophilic green algae that thrive in extremely frigid conditions and take the shape of red spheres in winter.

Some algae have helped remove microplastics from water after being bioengineered to clump together with these contaminants, forming an easily collectible microplastic-algae sludge.

Meet Cystisoma, the 7-inch crustacean with eyes for a head

In deep midwater, roughly 1,000 feet below the water's surface, completely transparent Cystisoma hide in plain sight from predators. Their retinas are splayed out thin across their disproportionately large eyes to avoid detection, and their entire bodies are transparent, difficult to see even as they are held in the palm of your hand. Learn more about the creatures here.

Unprecedented imaging of the Vibrio bacteria, published in 2026, may highlight new treatment targets

Researchers have produced the most detailed image ever of a key part of the Vibrio bacteria—the cause of cholera—known as the sheathed flagellum, which helps it move.

View a gallery of bioluminescent organisms, including jellyfish and mushrooms

Some species produce a quick flash of light, while others glow steadily with an eerie glow, often to seek attention or in response to being disturbed. Snails, worms, fungi, and other organisms highlight that this ability evolved independently, rather than from one common ancestor.

Scientists have found that the Great Barrier Reef's microbiome includes an estimated 362,802 distinct viruses and 876 distinct bacterial and archaeal species—584 of which had never been documented before 2026.

Green algae have lived on Earth for about 1 billion years, roughly twice as long as the first plants.

View a gallery of animals found on abyssal plains, hydrothermal vents, seamounts, and other deep-sea habitats.

Satellite imagery of the massive seaweed blob in the Atlantic

A belt of sargassum seaweed that stretches from the west coast of Africa to the Gulf of Mexico is the largest on record for March.

The ‘humongous fungus’ may be the largest organism on Earth at more than 2,300 acres

Discovered in 1988, when it was only covering 400 acres, this massive colony of Armillaria ostoyae, based in Oregon, has taken hold among the tree roots of the Malheur National Forest. It consists of a vast network of unique long black filaments of fungal tissue called rhizomorphs that grow under the soil and infect tree roots, nourishing the fungus but killing the trees. Researchers believe this fungal growth dates back more than 8,000 years and currently weighs approximately 35,000 tons.

Tardigrades average about half a millimeter in size, with rear legs used for grasping

Their physiology and size, which is even smaller in the tun state, allow them to be carried by the wind and latch onto moist surfaces. They have been found in ocean trenches approximately 5 kilometers deep and at altitudes of six kilometers in the Himalayas.

Billion-year-old Arctic fossils suggest Earth had fungi far earlier than previously thought

Named Ourasphaira giraldae, this new species of fungus, reported in 2019, was found in the Grassy Bay Formation in the Canadian Arctic. It pushed the fossil record of fungi back by about half a billion years since the oldest previously recognized fungi fossils came from the Rhynie chert, a Scottish site that dates back roughly 400 million years. This fungal discovery also suggests that fungi may have occurred on land much earlier than plants, raising questions about what ancient fungi used for nourishment.

The wonderfully named Vibrio diabolicus is a cousin of the cholera-causing bacterium

This bacterium, which belongs to the same genus as the cholera bacterium, was initially isolated from deep-sea hydrothermal fields. It was sampled from water that was scooped up during a French-American cruise in October 1991.

The term 'symbiosis' was coined during the study of lichens—composite organisms in which algae or cyanobacteria partner with a fungus, alongside bacteria.

About 1,500 species of tardigrades have been identified by their unique physiology

Freshwater-bound eutardigrades live on mosses and lichens and are distinguished by variations in the shape and number of claws at the end of their legs. Marine heterotardigrades, which live on algae and deep-sea sediments, have been observed to possess feathers, inflatable appendages, and flagpole-like tails.

Divers capture a blanket octopus unveiling her billowing membrane

In a short clip captured during a blackwater night dive in the Lembeh Strait, a blanket octopus unfolds and displays a colorful web multiple times its original size. The aquatic animal’s iridescent body and tentacles glow against the nighttime...

What we know about the mysterious colossal squid

The colossal squid, the world's largest invertebrate, remained hidden from human discovery until nearly a century ago. Explore the world of the enormous and mysterious creature, including its features, habitat, and scientific significance. You can even plan a visit to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and marvel at a real-life display.

New species of bacteria discovered in Chinese space station

A new space-adapted bacteria species, Niallia tiangongensis, was discovered on China's Tiangong space station. The bacteria display a heightened oxidative stress response and unique biofilm-forming abilities that assist them in healing from to radiation-based damage.

Scientists have collected critical minerals from ocean water using seaweed, a type of algae that leaves behind a mineral-rich powder called bio-ore after being processed into biofuels.

The 10 most amazing deep sea creatures

In this video, researchers from the world-renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium discuss the most fascinating deep sea creatures, and how they developed some of their strangest features.

Underwater nighttime photos capture the ocean's diversity

Self-taught photographer Steven Kovacs explores Palm Beach's ocean after sunset, capturing tiny sea creatures in deep waters. Over eight years, he's dived into Florida's eastern coast, drifting from 0 to 100 feet, photographing rarely seen larval fish. Lacking formal marine biology training, Kovacs collaborates globally to identify species like cusk eels and the female blanket octopus, known for its revealing membrane. Check out his photos here.

Lining up every microbe on Earth would stretch to about 105,000 light-years

There are about 10²⁷ such organisms on the planet, many of which are adapted to produce energy through uncommon reactions in unconventional environments, such as within rocks or near volcanoes on the ocean floor. Studies of these organisms have reframed astrobiologists' search for life beyond Earth by broadening the parameters under which life can exist.

When naming a newly discovered species, it is generally frowned upon for scientists to name it after themselves, their children, or other family members.

Some corals absorb harmful ultraviolet radiation and re-emit it as visible light, thereby protecting symbiotic algae within their tissues and providing them with energy for photosynthesis.

The world's largest coral, as seen from space

The world’s largest individual coral colony—measuring over 100 feet wide and 100 feet long—was discovered in the Solomon Islands. This coral is so large it can be seen from space, and is estimated to be between 300 and 500 years old. The coral's size and health provide hope amidst a global coral bleaching crisis, wherein three-quarters of coral reefs have experienced significant bleaching in recent decades. See the photos from space and learn more here.

See an anamorphic illusion of a massive crashing wave in South Korea

An enormous aquarium with perpetually crashing waves has popped up amidst an urban landscape in South Korea, but don’t expect to hear the water sloshing around if you walk by. Designed by District, the elevated tank is actually a massive anamorphic illusion. The digital media company created the pub

Solutions of bioluminescent bacteria can create FOMO-inducing living art

A 2002 exhibition at Montana State University-Bozeman placed the bacteria onto petri dishes that served as macroscopic pixels to create images. Once the bacteria finished eating all the food in the sealed dishes, the light slowly faded away, ending the exhibit.

JWST might spot life faster on ocean worlds than Earth-like ones

Unlike Earth-like planets, hycean worlds with thick hydrogen atmospheres and deep oceans could allow biosignature gases like methyl halides to accumulate in detectable levels. These gases, linked to microbial life on Earth, are easier for the James Webb Space Telescope to identify than traditional markers like oxygen or methane.

Biosphere 2 is the largest Earth science experiment ever built

The vivarium—an enclosed system including animals and plants—is sealed from below with 454 metric tons of stainless steel liner and includes an ocean habitat with more than 700,000 gallons of seawater. B2 is visited by 100,000 people yearly, including more than 10,000 K-12 students.

The South American lungfish has the largest known animal genome, with 91 billion base pairs—a set of genetic instructions about 30 times larger than a human's.

View colorful flowers that grow on cacti and succulents, popular xerophilic organisms

These dry-loving organisms are able to retain the water they need to grow and reproduce in deserts and arid grasslands through a suite of adaptations, including thick, fleshy stems that store abundant water, a waxy coating that helps prevent water loss, and an uncommon form of photosynthesis that loses less water.

See examples of hyperaccumulators, the plants that can harvest heavy metals

These ideal species for phytoremediation possess biochemistry that allows them to absorb and store these elements without being poisoned by their accumulation. Pycnandra acuminata, one such plant, has blue-green sap due to an abundance of nickel, which it captures from the nickel-rich soil in which it grows.

When caught in the mouths of cardinal fish, seed shrimp release glowing, bioluminescent chemicals, which alert predators of the cardinal fish, prompting the shrimp's ejection.

In 2026, researchers at the University of Minnesota created the world's first synthetic cell—a cell made from non-living chemical components—that can eat, grow, divide, and compete with other cells for resources.

The world's weirdest flowers

We mostly marvel at the beauty of flowers, but some kinds of flowers are incredibly weird. This video highlights 15 of the world's strangest flowers, from the massive Titan Arum to the rare Lady Slipper Orchid.

Diatomite, a sedimentary rock used as a filtration material in beer, wine, swimming pool water, motor oil, and pharmaceuticals, is formed from the fossilized shells of diatoms, a type of algae.

Mermaid tears are a long-lasting and hazardous form of ocean microplastic pollution, whose chemical composition enables them to contain higher concentrations of certain toxins than the surrounding environment.

Scientists discover what looks like an underwater road

Crew aboard the Exploration Vessel Nautilus discvered a “yellow brick road” that looks it leads to Atlantis. Climage change may affect future ocean studies.