A few years ago, Italian farmer Luca Gamberini began pondering what it would take to grow perfect garden vegetables. He already knew that plants need constant temperatures, as well as water, light, and protection from harmful external elements. But since it can be difficult to recreate these conditions outdoors all year long, or even at all, Gamberini needed an alternative that could provide a more stable growing environment.

His solution? Underwater greenhouses.

You don’t usually find a wireless network whilst underwater, but that may change as researchers at the University at Buffalo are developing a deep-sea internet. They hope that this technological breakthrough will lead to improvements in tsunami detection, pollution monitoring and other activities.

What makes your book different from other books about diving around the world?

There are two principals we have stuck to ever since the first edition. Right from the start, we asked other divers where they had been and where they were diving next. And then we focused on those places people actually want to go to and can afford to go to. Let’s face it, we would all love to dive the Antarctic, but few of us will win the lottery this week! The other thing is that we can say – hand on heart – that there is nothing in the book that we haven’t personally done. If we haven’t dived the country or a specific site, we don’t write about it or pass opinion. It makes the guide unique. Yes, it is personal to us and our experiences but at least readers know we have said it because we have done it!

Blue ringed octopus

Popular diving locations tend to be centered around marine biodiversity hotspots. The unique landscapes of coral reefs and mass congregations of marine leviathans draw divers like prey to a frogfish lure. These same spots usually have a history of local livelihoods like fishing, and few locations exist where there is no conflict between these two industries.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are parts of the ocean where certain activities are restricted benefit both divers and fishers, creating a permanent pool of marine resources that then seed and replenish heavily used areas.

The term "Marine Protected Area" is an umbrella term, and may refer to a variety of regualations and restrictions. Unfortuantely, a misunderstanding of the rules and regulations that surround MPAs can lead to a volatile relationship between the diving industry and other local livelihoods using reefs and other ecosystems. Here we cover some useful tips that you can use to promote these fantastic resources for more collaborative efforts for protecting valuable marine life.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers have demonstrated an untethered miniature origami robot that self-folds, walks, swims and dissolves. From a flat 2D sheet with a magnet on it, the robot folds itself up in a matter of seconds, zips around via magnets on land or water and then gets dunked into a tank of acetone to dissolve completely.