Into the deep

David Gruber, marine biologist [Photo by Jim Hellemn/China Daily]

In 2012, Gruber worked with artists to create the exhibition Creatures of Lights at the American Museum of Natural History, which displayed photos he took of fabulous glowing marine creatures.

"To take photos of these shimmering creatures deep in the sea is one of the few challenging things in the world for me. Just imagine taking a photo in a dark house without a flashlight," Gruber says. Sometimes, capturing a good photo takes him several months.

Having spent decades exploring the ocean, Gruber feels like all marine lives are his family members. The decaying ocean environment and the death of most coral reefs anger this sea lover.

"Coral reefs are like cities for marine animals. But 70 percent of them are dead because of human actions. It's like we are burning their homes," says Gruber.

He says his dream is to protect the ocean. He will continue to find more glowing species, which can be developed to aid medical research for cancer.

China's Hainan Island is one area he wishes to explore in future.