By Marlene Cimons

Much of the deep sea has never been explored close-up by humans. Some submarines have plumbed its depths, but reaching the ocean bottom is a complicated and expensive journey, challenging because the seabed lies under more than three miles of water, which exerts huge amounts of pressure. "We know more about space than about the bottom of the oceans in our own planet, even though more than two-thirds of the surface of the Earth is covered by marine sediments," said Olivier Sulpis, a researcher and doctoral student at McGill University's department of earth and planetary sciences.

Thus, "we hear less about the effects of human activity at the seafloor than on corals, for instance, simply because coral bleaching sounds more appealing than mud dissolving at the bottomAnger, frustration and distrust were on full display at the Nashville public schools board meeting Tuesday, turning the night into one of the most contentious gatherings in months.

A group of about 10 residents showed up to protest Director of Schools Shawn Joseph and call for his firing.

Meanwhile, as the district struggles to balance its budget, the board took a controversial vote to sell real property to fill a $13 million budget hole. Then, while discussing a reading curriculum, several board members expressed a lack of trust in Joseph and his leadership team.

Already, two board members have publicly said they have lost confidence in Joseph.

The meeting highlighted months of frustrations among board members, and tensions are likely to boil over in the future.

Board leadership asked for dissenting members to