Aquarius, the last underwater research base, will slumber through a funding crisis

Even as we explore space, much of the oceans remain a mystery, and the Aquarius Reef Base off the coast of Florida was dedicated to exploring underwater habitats. But after losing funding, its future was uncertain. Brian Lam, who has followed the base’s progress for some time, brings a hopeful but melancholy update in Boing Boing: Aquarius has received a grant that will keep it running, but it’s not enough to continue research. Instead, a maintenance crew will keep it from being overtaken by the sea, hopefully long enough to weather the current crisis and find a new source of funding. Until then, the last remaining permanent underwater research base will hibernate.