This story appears in the February 2010 issue of National Geographic magazine. When you thrust a shovel into the soil or tear off a piece of coral, you are, godlike, cutting through an entire world.

A biocube placed on the Tamae Reef off the Pacific island of Mo’orea (© David Liittschwager, all images courtesy Smithsonian Institution unless otherwise noted) A biocube in place at the Hallett ...

The exhibition “Life in One Cubic Foot” follows the research of Smithsonian scientists and photographer David Liittschwager as they discover what a cubic foot of land or water—a biocube—reveals about ...

The cube was submerged in Tennessee’s Duck River. © David Liittschwager. When one sets out to document the diversity of life on Earth, there’s a real advantage ...

Racquel Stephen covers “One Cubic Foot,” a Smithsonian project exploring life in the Genesee River. Host Racquel Stephen discusses “One Cubic Foot.” Photographer David Littschwager and a team from the ...

Photographer David Liittschwager slowly snorkeled his way across jagged coral in a shallow lagoon of the island of Mo'ore'a, ten miles from Tahiti. Colorful riots of tropical fish scattered as he ...