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This week's Science Times features a veritable cornucopia of ocean-related stories.

Check out the Times' take on the human impacts map, which shows that 40 percent of the oceans are heavily affected by human activity; a multimedia version of the map itself, which breaks down the various categories of impact, including acidification and shipping; a slideshow of some of the ocean's beautiful coral habitats and creatures; and a preview of a new study on human impacts on corals.

Not exactly something to celebrate, the scalloped hammerhead shark will be added to the "globally endangered" species list this year.

Some 233 shark species are currently on the red list, with nine more to be added, including the hammerhead. Over-fishing and shark finning are two reasons these fish are in trouble.

Luckily (and you guessed it!) Oceana is working to reverse the dismal trend. Find out how HERE.

Currently all six sea turtle species found in U.S. waters are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

This week in ocean news,

...scientists studying the sea floor near Antarctica discovered new species of fish, plankton and jellyfish. "We had some of the world's experts on Antarctic fish and they were completely, completely flabbergasted," said the leader of the expedition...

...a researcher studying a dead zone off the U.S. Northwest coast saw nothing on the ocean floor. "It appeared that everything that couldn't swim or scuttle away had died," she said...

...the government of Taiwan allocated $1 million in Taiwanese new dollars to clear the shore of dead fish, both wild and farmed, that had died during a recent cold snap...

...developers planned a world-class aquarium in Moscow to open by 2012. "The aquarium will feature seven different species of shark, which will cost more than $10,000 apiece," said the project's public relations manager...

...shark migration routes were under scrutiny, with the hope that mapping shark "superhighways" could help lead to more protections for threatened species...

...NOAA's Alaska Fisheries Service was able to estimate the age of fish based on trace radiocarbon from Cold War-era nuclear testing found in the fish's ear bones...

...the one billion gallons of partially treated sewage that flows into the ocean every day could be responsible for the feminizing of male fish...

..the University of California at Santa Barbara created the first world map to display the level of total human effects on the ocean, demonstrating that essentially no waters were still pristine...

...and the Florida shore was set to become a test site for underwater turbines that would convert the Gulf Stream current into energy.

Nearly a billion people worldwide depend on fish for at least 30 percent of their animal protein, and there are millions more who live in coastal communities which count on fishing for all or part of their income.

Do sharks get road rage? What about heartburn? ... Only science will reveal.

For now all we know is a new study shows great white sharks travel predictable pathways, or "super highways," between feeding hot spots, dubbed "cafes."

In other news, international coffee chain Starbucks is considering expanding to the bottom of the sea. OK, not true, but maybe not such a bad idea. ...

And here I thought the spiders like the one I "discovered" the other morning in the bathroom of my basement apartment were big. ...

Australian scientists working on the floor of the Southern Ocean discovered several mysterious creatures including giant sea spiders and worms.

Scientists spent 20 days actually collecting samples from the Antarctic ocean floor, with an estimated 25 percent of those creatures thought to be new species.

Samples were shipped off to labs all over the world for identification as well as tissue and DNA samples.

The expedition had been researching climate change and its affect on corals and other hard-shelled creatures. Scientists are concerned that increasing climates will heighten the acidity of the ocean, which in turn would impact how crustaceans, corals and invertebrates grow and sustain their protective calcium carbonate shells. Learn more about climate HERE.

Update: Deep Sea News provides a glimpse into the world of giant sea spiders.

The area of the world ocean is 139 million square miles.

The sperm whale is the largest of all toothed whales and is the largest toothed animal alive, with adult males measuring up to 20.5 m (67 ft) long.

"Dolphins are known to have sex for reasons other than reproduction."

Makes sense to me, I mean, what would you do if you found out your world was about to end? And while you're pondering that, check out this way cool video. ...

Happy Valentine's Day!