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A monogenean flatworm
Ecologists Use Museum Specimens to Dig into the Parasitic Past
New techniques to quantify what lived in and on preserved animals throw light on how parasite abundance has changed over time.
Ecologists Use Museum Specimens to Dig into the Parasitic Past
Ecologists Use Museum Specimens to Dig into the Parasitic Past

New techniques to quantify what lived in and on preserved animals throw light on how parasite abundance has changed over time.

New techniques to quantify what lived in and on preserved animals throw light on how parasite abundance has changed over time.

marine biology

purple and green microscopic view of sea anemone neurons and stinging cells
Science Snapshot: With Fronds Like These, Who Needs Anemones?
Lisa Winter | Oct 4, 2022 | 1 min read
This year’s third-place winner of the 2022 Nikon Small World in Motion competition features sea anemone cells.
Green fish with boat behind
The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill’s Hidden Impacts on Mahi-Mahi      
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Sep 28, 2022 | 5 min read
Mahi-mahi were more likely to be eaten and less likely to spawn after being exposed to sublethal concentrations of oil, raising concerns about the risks oceanic drilling pose to life in the ocean.
satellite view of Hurricane Ian in between Cuba and Florida's Gulf Coast
Researchers in Ian’s Path Brace for the Storm
Andy Carstens | Sep 27, 2022 | 4 min read
With their laboratories prepared as well as possible for what’s now a Category 3 hurricane, all scientists in Florida can do now is wait.
Kenneth Coale
Biogeochemist Kenneth Coale Dies at 67
Lisa Winter | Aug 4, 2022 | 3 min read
He was known for his research on iron’s role in phytoplankton biomass.
A dolphin comes out of the water to catch a red ball.<br><br>
Dolphins May Remember Personal Experiences
Alejandra Manjarrez, PhD | Jul 29, 2022 | 4 min read
Bottlenose dolphins can recall trivial details of a prior event to later solve a novel task, a study finds, suggesting these mammals are capable of episodic memory.
a black abalone on a rock
Genome Spotlight: Black Abalone (Haliotis cracherodii)
Christie Wilcox, PhD | Jun 23, 2022 | 3 min read
The researchers who constructed the first reference genome for this critically endangered mollusk say it will assist restoration efforts.
caged panels submerged underwater
How Rising Temperatures Affect Ocean Predation
Andy Carstens | Jun 9, 2022 | 3 min read
A study yields insights into how predator-prey dynamics may shift with climate change, but many questions remain.
a giant isopod in an aquarium
Genome Spotlight: Giant Isopod (Bathynomus jamesi)
Christie Wilcox, PhD | May 26, 2022 | 3 min read
The first high-quality genome for a marine isopod may shed light on how this group of crustaceans adapted to the deep, dark depths of the ocean.
A school of juvenile spiny chromis (Acanthochromis polycanthus)
Human-Made Noise Disrupts Fish Parenting
Christie Wilcox, PhD | May 23, 2022 | 3 min read
The roar of nearby boat engines alters how fish care for and protect their young, resulting in fewer successful nests and smaller offspring, a study finds.
Two adult bottlenose dolphins and one calf swim close to a sandy seafloor that’s dotted with coral.
Study Suggests Dolphins Use Coral Mucus as Medicine
Dan Robitzski | May 19, 2022 | 4 min read
Researchers observe that dolphins in a pod in the Red Sea regularly rub against certain corals and sponges, perhaps to sooth their skin by prompting the invertebrates to release mucus that contains antimicrobial compounds.
brown spotted octopus blending in with its background
Steroids May Explain Octopuses’ Self-Starvation
Andy Carstens | May 16, 2022 | 2 min read
Two glands increase steroid production after female California two-spot octopuses mate, a study finds. Those hormones may be responsible for the animals’ self-destructive behavior.
Photo of fish in the Haemulidae family
Fish Are Chattier Than Previously Thought
Connor Lynch | May 2, 2022 | 5 min read
Once thought to be silent, fish turn out to produce a range of vocalizations—so polluting the oceans with noise could pose a danger to them.
Close-up of a fiber with brightly colored pathogens beside it
Microplastics in Seawater May Harbor Parasites
Christie Wilcox, PhD | Apr 26, 2022 | 2 min read
Laboratory experiments find that Toxoplasma, Cryptosporidium, and Giardia can congregate on microplastic beads and fibers, suggesting they might make their way into and around the world’s oceans by hitching rides on tiny bits of trash.
A black and white photo of a man standing at a lab bench, holding up a glass jar
Reimagining Ecology, 1939
Lisa Winter | Apr 4, 2022 | 3 min read
Edward Ricketts built his laboratory just onshore from the swirling tidepools of Monterey Bay, California, an ideal backdrop against which he developed a new system for studying the ecology of any given habitat.
octopus blue
What Scientists Learned by Putting Octopuses in MRI Machines
Chloe Tenn | Jan 20, 2022 | 3 min read
The size and complexity of cephalopod brain structures differ depending on the habitats the creatures occupy, a study finds.
black and white man on coast
Biophysicist Adrianus Kalmijn Dies at 88
Chloe Tenn | Jan 11, 2022 | 2 min read
His work revealed that sharks use an electromagnetic sense to navigate and detect prey.
Photo of krill and plankton in the sea, macro detail
Fear Could Help Explain the Behavior of Animals in the Ocean
Catherine Offord | Jan 4, 2022 | 2 min read
Avoidance of predation is a driving force behind the daily movements of marine creatures across the food web, a study concludes.
Close-up of wild sea otter (Enhydra lutris) eating shellfish while floating on it's back.
Sea Otters Demonstrate that There Is More to Muscle than Just Movement—It Can Also Bring the Heat
Traver Wright, Melinda Sheffield-Moore, and Randall Davis | Dec 13, 2021 | 4 min read
Sea otters are born with a supercharged metabolism that helps them stay warm in chilly waters.
microscope image of methaotrophs with black specks
Deep Sea Microbes Produce Graphite-like Carbon
Chloe Tenn | Nov 11, 2021 | 2 min read
The first evidence of biologically produced elemental carbon inspires more questions than answers.  
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