By Smithsonian Institute

From slime to sponges, scientists are plumbing the ocean's depths for new medications to treat cancer, pain and other ailments.

Writer Kevin Krajick went to sea, journeying out on a 100-foot chartered vessel in the company of divers and scientists who ventured out into the Gulf of Mexico in search of slime. In particular, they sought algae, sponges, sea urchins and other organisms attached to the undersides of oil-rig platforms.

This team of researchers are among the ranks of scientists prospecting for marine creatures from which ultimately, pharmaceuticals may be derived. Whether scuba diving in murky bays of Fiji or the Philippines, or cutting holes in the ice to search for sponges in the waters off Antarctica, a new breed of scientists-divers are braving hazards to collect underwater specimens............

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