Evan Barnard

What do you expect to hear when walking out into a meadow? Perhaps the sound of tall grass being crushed underfoot or the chirps of crickets, the sounds of birds flying overhead, maybe even the buzz of bees gathering nectar for honey? What do you expect to see? The classic paintings and pictures of meadows include tall grass, all sorts of animals, and of course, beautiful flowers.

What might an untrained ear miss when it submerges itself beneath the ocean waves? There is usually the pan-frying sound of snapping shrimp. Other species are communicating with each other underwater as well, though we humans are only just beginning to detect them and unravel their meaning. Humpback whales communicate with potential mates with low-frequency songs that can be heard from thousands of miles away, marine biologists say.

Hidden beneath the Red Sea, the Coral Probiotics Village is home to a bustling community of sea critters and scientists. Underwater street signs mark pathways for scuba-diving researchers to navigate the reef. On Nemo Street, microbial ecologist Raquel Peixoto holds a syringe close to some coral and presses the plunger, releasing around seven strains of bacteria into the water.