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Categories: Ecology: Sea Life, Paleontology: Fossils
Published In hot water: Coral resilience in the face of climate change



Researchers have been studying the effects of climate change on coral reefs. Monitoring two coral species off the coast of Hawaii, one team found that local adaptations in response to near-severe heat stress allowed certain populations to endure such events.
Published Acidity of Antarctic waters could double by century's end, threatening biodiversity



Without drastically reducing global emissions, the Antarctic Ocean could become too acidic for hundreds of species living there, many already endangered by rising temperatures and sea ice loss.
Published With only the pawprints, researchers study elusive bobcat



With DNA recovered from animal tracks, scientists revealed information about the ancestry and microbial community of bobcats without having to sample the animal directly.
Published Stranger than friction: A force initiating life



As the potter works the spinning wheel, the friction between their hands and the soft clay helps them shape it into all kinds of forms and creations. In a fascinating parallel, sea squirt oocytes (immature egg cells) harness friction within various compartments in their interior to undergo developmental changes after conception.
Published Protecting coral 'nurseries' as important as safeguarding established coral reefs



New research in the southwestern part of Hawai'i Island shows that identifying and protecting marine ecosystems both down-current and up-current of coral reefs, specifically areas where coral larvae are more likely to survive and thrive, is crucial to future coral conservation and restoration efforts -- especially as reefs face increasing pressure from the devastating effects of climate change.
Published Fastest swimming insect could inspire uncrewed boat designs



Whirligig beetles, the world's fastest-swimming insect, achieve surprising speeds by employing a strategy shared by fast-swimming marine mammals and waterfowl, according to a new study that rewrites previous explanations of the physics involved.
Published The evolution of photosynthesis better documented thanks to the discovery of the oldest thylakoids in fossil cyanobacteria



Researchers have identified microstructures in fossil cells that are 1.75 billion years old. These structures, called thylakoid membranes, are the oldest ever discovered. They push back the fossil record of thylakoids by 1.2 billion years and provide new information on the evolution of cyanobacteria which played a crucial role in the accumulation of oxygen on the early Earth.
Published The snail or the egg?



Animals reproduce in one of two distinct ways: egg-laying or live birth. By studying an evolutionarily recent transition from egg-laying to live-bearing in a marine snail, collaborative research has shed new light on the genetic changes that allow organisms to make the switch.
Published Male southern elephant seals are picky eaters



New research suggests these large marine mammals are extremely fussy and only eat their favorite foods.
Published The choreography connecting kelp forests to the beach



A new study uncovers a symphony of synchrony between the kelp forest and beach, with broader implications for the beach food web as the climate changes.
Published 'Giant' predator worms more than half a billion years old discovered in North Greenland



Fossils of a new group of animal predators have been located in the Early Cambrian Sirius Passet fossil locality in North Greenland. These large worms may be some of the earliest carnivorous animals to have colonized the water column more than 518 million years ago, revealing a past dynasty of predators that scientists didn't know existed.
Published 'Juvenile T. rex' fossils are a distinct species of small tyrannosaur



A new analysis of fossils believed to be juveniles of T. rex now shows they were adults of a small tyrannosaur, with narrower jaws, longer legs, and bigger arms than T. rex. The species, Nanotyrannus lancensis, was first named decades ago but later reinterpreted as a young T. rex. The new study shows Nanotyrannus was a smaller, longer-armed relative of T. rex, with a narrower snout.
Published How jellyfish regenerate functional tentacles in days



At about the size of a pinkie nail, the jellyfish species Cladonema can regenerate an amputated tentacle in two to three days -- but how? Regenerating functional tissue across species, including salamanders and insects, relies on the ability to form a blastema, a clump of undifferentiated cells that can repair damage and grow into the missing appendage. Jellyfish, along with other cnidarians such as corals and sea anemones, exhibit high regeneration abilities, but how they form the critical blastema has remained a mystery until now.
Published Insects already had a variety of defense strategies in the Cretaceous



Analyses of amber show that insect larvae were already using a wide variety of tactics to protect themselves from predators 100 million years ago.
Published Unveiling ancient secrets: 3D preservation of trilobite soft tissues sheds light on convergent evolution of defensive enrollment



Researchers describe unusual trilobite fossils prepared as thin sections showing the 3D soft tissues during enrollment. The study reveals the soft undersides of enrolled trilobites and the evolutionary mechanism that allows arthropods to enroll their bodies for protection from predators and adverse environmental conditions.
Published Mysterious fruit shown to be the oldest known fossils of the Frankincense and Myrrh family



Early in the 1970s, paleontologists discovered strange fossilized fruits between hardened rock from one of the largest volcanic eruptions in Earth's history. The identity of these fossils remained elusive for the next several decades. Using CT scanning, scientists have now determined they are the oldest fossils from species in the Frankincense and Myrrh family.
Published Mesopotamian bricks unveil the strength of Earth's ancient magnetic field



Ancient bricks inscribed with the names of Mesopotamian kings have yielded important insights into a mysterious anomaly in Earth's magnetic field 3,000 years ago, according to a new study.
Published Global inventory of sound production brings us one step closer to understanding aquatic ecosystems



Our understanding of which aquatic species produce sounds just took a big step forward. Scientists have created an inventory of species confirmed or expected to produce sound underwater.
Published Some coral species might be more resilient to climate change than previously thought



Some coral species can be resilient to marine heat waves by 'remembering' how they lived through previous ones, research suggests.
Published 15 most pressing issues for conservation, including invertebrate decline and changing marine ecosystems



Since 2009, the Cambridge Conservation Initiative has coordinated an annual horizon scan, a well-established method for predicting which threats, changes, and technologies will have the biggest impact on biological conservation in the following year. This year, the 15th horizon scan included 31 scientists, practitioners, and policymakers who developed a list of 96 issues, which they eventually narrowed down to the fifteen most novel and impactful. Their findings include topics related to sustainable energy, declining invertebrate populations, and changing marine ecosystems.