Alien Species Predicted to Increase by 36% Worldwide by 2050
The number of alien (non-native) species, particularly insects, arthropods and birds, is expected to increase globally by 36% by the middle of this century, compared…
Marine Biology
Strange Isotopes: Scientists Explain a Mysterious Methane Isotope Paradox of the Seafloor
Why methane carbon isotopes in the deep sea behave so differently than expected. Deep down in the seafloor anaerobic microbes consume large amounts of methane,…
Evolutionary Biologists Just Discovered How Some Lizards Are Able to Breathe Underwater
A team of evolutionary biologists from the University of Toronto has shown that Anolis lizards, or anoles, are able to breathe underwater with the aid…
Largest-Ever Effort to Artificially Inseminate Sharks – And the Occasional “Virgin Birth”
It’s a tough time to be a shark. Pollution, industrialized fishing, and climate change threaten marine life, and the populations of many top ocean predators…
First Cell Atlas of Stony Corals Is Boost for Coral Reef Conservation Efforts
Map reveals existence of specialized immune cells in corals for the first time. Researchers at the University of Haifa, the Weizmann Institute, and the Centre…
New Turtle Discovered From the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar
A new pelomedusoid turtle from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar provides evidence for convergent evolution of suction feeding among pleurodires. We here describe a new…
Thousands of Sharks Illegally Caught in Marine Protected Area in the Indian Ocean
Thousands of sharks have been illegally caught in a Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Indian Ocean, new research shows. The MPA was created in…
Climate Change Resilience: Northern Red Sea Corals Pass Heat Stress Test With Flying Colors
EPFL scientists are beginning to understand why corals in the Gulf of Aqaba, along with their symbiotic algae and bacteria, resist higher temperatures particularly well….
Sharks Use Earth’s Magnetic Fields to Guide Them Like a Map – “It Really Is Mind Blowing”
Sea turtles are known for relying on magnetic signatures to find their way across thousands of miles to the very beaches where they hatched. Now,…
Bizarre Branching Worm With Dividing Internal Organs Discovered Growing in Sea Sponge
International research team including Göttingen University first to describe tree-like internal anatomy of symbiotic worm and sponge. The marine worm Ramisyllis multicaudata, which lives within…
Environmental Scientists Want to Extract Carbon-Neutral “Biofuel” From Lakes
Lakes could be suitable for the extraction of methane for energy production. Lakes store huge amounts of methane. In a new study, environmental scientists at…
Surprise in the Deep Sea: Researchers Discover Unexpected Paths on the Ocean Floor
Sponges: They are considered to be one of the most primitive forms of animal life, because they have neither locomotion organs nor a nervous system….
Surprise in the Deep Sea: Mysterious Ocean-Floor Trails Show Arctic Sponges on the Move
The aquatic animal known as the sponge is often described as entirely sessile: once they’ve settled in a spot and matured, they aren’t generally thought…
New Era in Coral Biology Research: Scientists Have Cultured the First Stable Coral Cell Lines
The ability to culture coral cells could usher in a new era in coral biology research. Researchers have successfully grown cells from the stony coral,…
Conservationists May Be Unintentionally Spreading Diseases and Parasites Between Threatened Animal Populations
Moving endangered species to new locations is often used as part of species conservation strategies, and can help to restore degraded ecosystems. But scientists say…
Newly Discovered Climate-Friendly Microbes Chomp Dead Plants Without Releasing Heat-Trapping Methane
The tree of life just got a little bigger: A team of scientists from the U.S. and China has identified an entirely new group of…
Friendships and Rivalries: Cooperative Male Dolphins Can Tell Who’s on Their Team
When it comes to friendships and rivalries, male dolphins know who the good team players are. New findings, published in Nature Communications by University of Bristol researchers,…
Illuminating the Mystery of Sea Turtles’ Epic Migrations
North Pacific loggerhead turtles’ years-long oceanic journeys remain poorly understood. Using data from satellite tracking and other techniques, scientists reveal a unique phenomenon that may…