Did you know that oceans cover 70% of Earth’s surface and that marine species outnumber those on land? In fact, 94% of the Earth’s living species exist in the ocean. These astounding facts were a small fraction of the information we learned at our recent lecture, “Mysteries of the Ocean“.

Throughout the year we try to cover a variety of topics for our lecture series, from history to art, from fashion to science. We recently hosted Dr. Mercer Brugler, an expert on all things ocean-related who specializes in the evolution of black coral and sea anemones.

Dr. Brugler runs a molecular lab at the American Museum of Natural History where high school students and undergraduates are submerged in deep-sea evolutionary biology. He is also an adjunct Assistant Professor at NYU’s School of Professional Studies (Division of Applied Undergraduate Studies) and a Research Associate at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History (Washington DC).

​With his enthusiasm and extensive knowledge, Dr. Brugler made coral and deep-sea biology seem interesting and exciting to both science and non-science enthusiasts.