New Blood-Red Species of Octocoral Discovered in Panama
A study in the journal Bulletin of Marine Science describes a new, blood-red species of octocoral found in Panama. The species in the genus Thesea…
Marine Biology
Researchers Shed Light on the Mysterious Lives of Narwhals
Narwhals are some of the most elusive creatures in the ocean, spending most of their lives in deep water far from shore. But research being…
Researchers Discover a Missing Link in Virus Evolution
A type of virus that dominates water samples taken from the world’s oceans has long escaped analysis because it has characteristics that standard tests can’t…
Biologists Explore the Effect of Coral Restoration on Caribbean Reef Fish Communities
Spending hours a day diving around the coral reefs off St. Croix might sound like the stuff of a dream vacation, but for Annie Opel…
Three New Species of Zoantharians Discovered Across the Indo-Pacific
Three new species of zoantharians were discovered by researchers from the University of the Ryukyus and Kagoshima University, Japan, and the Palau International Coral Reef…
Scientists Examine Microbial Life on a Sand Grain
A newly published study details microbial life on a sand grain: from bulk sediment to single grains. Just imagine, you are sitting on a sunny…
Yale Study Examines Evolutionary Cradle for Antarctica Marine Life
New research from Yale University and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences reveals that the largely barren islands reaching north from Antarctica are actually…
New Study Details How Bacteria Become Individualists
No two bacteria are identical – even when they are genetically the same. New research reveals the conditions under which bacteria become individualists and how…
Glass Sponge Produces a Perfectly Periodic Three-Dimensional Protein/Silica Mesoporous Structure
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute have discovered that the marine sponge Monorhaphis chuni forms a glass filament with a perfect periodic arrangement of nanopores…
Study Shows Crude Oil Impairs Cardiac Excitation-Contraction Coupling in Fish
While studying the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Stanford researchers discovered that crude oil interrupts a cellular pathway that allows fish heart cells…
Dolphins Form “Life Raft” to Try to Save Dying Companion
For the first time caught on video, Korean-based scientists witnessed a group of dolphins trying to help another dying dolphin by forming a “life raft.”…
Marine Bacteria Are Not Homogenous Populations in the Ocean
New research from scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory shows that marine bacteria are not just homogenous populations in the ocean and that different bacteria…
Leptocephalus, The Transparent Eel Larva
The marine eels and other members of the Superorder Elopomorpha have a leptocephalus larval stage, which are flat and transparent. This group is quite diverse,…
Sequencing of Comb Jellies’ DNA Reveals that they Preceded Sponges
Genome-sequencing data indicates that sponges were preceded by ctenophores, complex marine predators also called comb jellies. The scientists presented their findings at the annual meeting…
Nopili Goby, The Waterfall Climbing Fish
When the Nopili goby (Sicyopterus stimpsoni) moves from salt water to fresh water, over the course of two days, the fish’s mouth migrates from the…
Comb Jellies Have Proteins to Generate & Sense Light
Comb jellies, known as the phylum Ctenophora, live in marine waters worldwide. They have a distinctive feature in their groups of cilia, which they use…
Toxic Algal Blooms Could be Boosted by Climate Change
Physical and chemical conditions in the oceans cause populations of algae to wax and wane in cycles. Harmful algae consist of only a few species…
Invasive Species King Crabs Could Wipe Out Antarctic Ecosystems
Colder temperatures have kept crabs out of Antarctic seas for 30 million years, but warmer waters from the ocean depths are now intruding onto the…