Written by Sophie Kalkowski-Pope The sterile white lights of the lab shine down on us, as Ciara carefully pipettes primer from one vial to another. Her patience and attention to detail is meticulous. This is just one step in the lengthy process of e-DNA extraction, which I came to Okinawa to study.  I raise my […]

Written by Sophie Kalkowski-Pope, November 2023 “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I just don’t think I can do it” our open water student splutters. “Hey, hey! It’s okay….” I reach out and gently reassure her. “We’ll do this together”. I take her hand and gently hold it in mine.  We’re kneeling in the shallow end of […]

Written by Sophie Kalkowski-Pope “Weights, Mask, Dive Computer, Transect, slate, GPS tracker, camera…That’s everything”. “All good to go?” Kirsty asks, “Yup!” I reply, as we plunge into the water off the back of the catamaran. As we descend into the water column, I can’t quite believe what we were seeing. 30m visibility allows us to […]

Written by Sophie Kalkowski-Pope Bright flashes of torchlight pierce the inky depths around us. The sweeps of golden light illuminate a seemingly bare sea floor, a gentle sandy slope leading into the gloom. There, out of the corner of my eye, I see a flash of colour… I approach the tiny turquoise gem nestled in […]

Written by Sophie Kalkowski-Pope The rain thrums on the roof above us, as we huddle in underneath a tin roof for shelter. We’re walking through the mangroves on a raised platform, heading to a meeting with the local community. The vegetation around us is glowing an incredible vibrant green, leaves dripping with droplets.  Later on, […]