United States
Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research

EVENT: Live from Antarctica - In search of worms and gooey invertebrates

The Antarctic continental shelf is one of the most remote and understudied marine ecosystems on earth. The seafloor here is teeming with invertebrate life: worm species large and small, microscopic mollusks, sea spiders, sea stars, and sea cucumbers (oh my!), all coexisting together on the vast muddy bottom. Most invertebrates in the Southern Ocean are unknown to science, and every expedition uncovers troves of new species and unique body types. Using new DNA sequencing technologies, scientists are also trying to piece together the unique evolutionary history of Antarctic ecosystems and understand how polar invertebrates may be related to species in other ocean regions.

Join a "dream team" of invertebrate taxonomists and evolutionary biologists searching for new species around Eastern Antarctica. They'll give you a quick tour of their deep-sea research ship, answer your questions about their work, and more on March 6 at 1 pm ET. The audience for this event is grades 4 to 12, but all are welcome!

Register today
Learn more about the research team before the event

 

Terri Edillon
Communications Specialist
NSF Office of Polar Programs
Office: 703.292.7521
www.nsf.gov | www.usap.gov
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