Coral reefs are threatened by a multitude of environmental and biotic influences. Among these, excavating sponges raise particular concern since they bore into coral skeleton forming extensive cavities which lead to weakening and loss of reef structures. ...

The science party for this leg of the expedition consisted of two groups of scientists from the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution. The first group searched for previously undiscovered compounds in marine organisms that may be able to study, treat, o...