Reuters reports — Elephant seals wearing head sensors and swimming deep beneath Antarctic ice have helped scientists better understand how the ocean's coldest, deepest waters are formed, providing vital clues to understanding its role in the world's climate.

Twenty of the seals were deployed from Davis Station in east Antarctica in 2011 with a sensor, weighing less than 7 ounces, on their head.

"The seals went to an area of the coastline that no ship was ever going to get to," said Guy Williams, ACE CRC Sea Ice specialist and co-author of the study. Read the full story.