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Marine Biology

All articles tagged with #marine biology

Split-second slime: hagfish defense clogs predators' gills
science14 days ago

Split-second slime: hagfish defense clogs predators' gills

When pressed by a predator, hagfish release two cargoes of proteins and mucus into seawater, where they rapidly unravel into a fibrous slime that clogs a predator’s gills in a fraction of a second, often causing the attacker to back off. A full slime-out can reach about a liter from a small amount of exudate; the defense is triggered by direct contact rather than sight. Hagfish can shed slime and clean themselves by knotting and sneezing, and researchers study this fast, water-based slime as inspiration for new materials.

via Space Daily|
#biomaterials#hagfish#marine-biology
Antarctic Sea Toxins Could Fuel a New Melanoma Drug
science14 days ago

Antarctic Sea Toxins Could Fuel a New Melanoma Drug

USF researchers collected Antarctic ascidians (sea squirts) and found toxins they produce can kill melanoma cells in mice, suggesting potential for a new melanoma treatment. Developing a safe, human-approved drug will require extensive lab work, animal studies, and synthetic production, with ongoing NSF-funded collaborations to reproduce the toxin and move toward trials while addressing ecological and safety concerns.

via The Guardian|
#antarctica#drug-development#marine-biology
Detached Sea-Cucumber Tissue Survives and Regrows for Years in Seawater
science29 days ago

Detached Sea-Cucumber Tissue Survives and Regrows for Years in Seawater

Researchers found that sea cucumber tissue, when detached, remained alive, healed, and even grew for more than three years in ordinary seawater, defying the assumption that such tissue dies outside sterile labs. Explants from tube feet, body, and tentacles showed cell diversification, immune activity, and nutrient uptake from dissolved amino acids, creating a simple, long-lived model for regeneration with potential biomedical and educational uses. The work was published in Science Advances and involved Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.

via SciTechDaily|
#explant-culture#marine-biology#regenerative-medicine
Arctic Icebergs Seed Hidden Coral Gardens on the Seafloor
earth-science1 month ago

Arctic Icebergs Seed Hidden Coral Gardens on the Seafloor

Researchers using satellite imagery and a network of undersea sensors found that debris-laden icebergs drop dropstones onto the Arctic seafloor, creating hard substrates that enable new habitats for soft corals, sea anemones, sponges and bryozoans, boosting deep-sea biodiversity. Most icebergs traced to glaciers in northeastern Greenland and the Russian High Arctic, linking iceberg flux to warming. The findings also highlight navigational and bottom-trawling hazards from deposited rocks, a risk now prompting private firms to provide timely iceberg data to mariners.

via Gizmodo|
#arctic#biodiversity#climate-change
Behind the Lab Coats: Five Captivating Shots of Scientists at Work
science1 month ago

Behind the Lab Coats: Five Captivating Shots of Scientists at Work

Nature's 2026 Scientist At Work photo contest selects five winning images showing researchers in action—from Gunnar Hartmann’s overall-winner migration of the Waldrapp ibis across Europe, to underwater coral research in Saudi Arabia, whale‑shark sampling in Australia, algal-bloom work on a Canadian lake using eDNA, and a UV-lit mosquito study in Indiana—celebrating science across sky, sea and lab, with each winner receiving £500 and publication in Nature.

via Nature|
#climate-change#conservation#marine-biology
Diver Unmasks Hairy Orange Reef Fish, Solves 20-Year Mystery
wildlife1 month ago

Diver Unmasks Hairy Orange Reef Fish, Solves 20-Year Mystery

A diver photographed an orange, hairy-looking fish in Papua New Guinea about 23 years ago, which stumped scientists for years. In 2020, marine biologists confirmed it as a new species, Solenostomus snuffleupagus, named for its Sesame Street‑inspired shaggy appearance; its hairlike filaments camouflage it among algae, helping explain why it took so long to identify.

via The Dodo|
#camouflage#fish#marine-biology
New Hairy Ghost Pipefish Named for Sesame Street's Mr. Snuffleupagus
science1 month ago

New Hairy Ghost Pipefish Named for Sesame Street's Mr. Snuffleupagus

Marine biologists have described a new species of hairy ghost pipefish, Solenostomus snuffleupagus, from the Southwest Pacific. Measuring about 1–1.5 inches, it’s the seventh known ghost pipefish and is distinguished by extra vertebrae and distinctive hair-like filaments that aid camouflage, suggesting a divergence from its relatives around 18 million years ago. The species’ shaggy, red-algae–like appearance led to comparisons with Sesame Street’s Mr. Snuffleupagus in media coverage.

via Boing Boing|
#ghost-pipefish#marine-biology#new-species
Glowing, harpoon-wielding dinoflagellate redefines marine predators
science1 month ago

Glowing, harpoon-wielding dinoflagellate redefines marine predators

Researchers sampling water from Scripps Pier identified Polykrikos kofoidii, a predatory bioluminescent dinoflagellate that uses harpoon-like structures to feed on prey including toxic algae. Its luciferin is distributed across the entire cell, producing slower, dimmer blue-green flashes compared with other dinoflagellates. The discovery could enhance understanding of marine ecosystems and inform potential approaches to managing harmful algal blooms.

via BBC Wildlife Magazine|
#bioluminescence#dinoflagellates#marine-biology
Open-ocean buffet: what draws great whites to the White Shark Café
science1 month ago

Open-ocean buffet: what draws great whites to the White Shark Café

Researchers tracing great white shark migrations found that the so-called White Shark Café, a remote open-ocean corridor between Baja California and Hawaii, hosts a surprisingly rich deep-water food web. In 2018, a voyage equipped with advanced tags revealed abundant life at depths satellites can’t reach, suggesting the area serves as a feeding and possibly mating ground. The discovery turns the Café from a mythical ‘desert’ into a real ecological hotspot, underscoring the need for protection of high-seas habitats.

via BBC Wildlife Magazine|
#great-white-sharks#marine-biology#migration