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COMIC: Exploring the ocean's wonderous, mysterious depths

Angela Hsieh for NPR

Did you know that the ocean produces approximately half of the world's oxygen? Or that key medicines have come from ocean discoveries, like a painkiller found in a sea snail?

It's all true! And so is this fact: Humans haven't seen 99.999% of the deep sea floor.

With this comic, we explore some of the cool things scientists do know about the ocean and what dwells inside of it.

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Angela Hsieh for NPR /


Exciting news: We have a newsletter! It lets you go even deeper with the marine research each week of Sea CampSign up here!

This comic was written and illustrated by Angela Hsieh, based on reporting from Berly McCoy. It was art directed by Emily Bogle and edited by Rebecca Ramirez.

Copyright 2025 NPR

Corrected: July 25, 2025 at 3:57 PM CDT
A previous version of this comic repeated an adage — that we know less about the sea than we know about space — without providing sufficient context. It has been updated to note a different comparison, that more people have been to space than the deepest part of the ocean.
Berly McCoy
Kimberly (Berly) McCoy (she/her) is an assistant producer for NPR's science podcast, Short Wave. The podcast tells stories about science and scientists, in all the forms they take.
Angela Hsieh
Rebecca Ramirez