New study uncovers 'magnetic' memory of European glass eels
A new study has found that European glass eels use their magnetic sense to 'imprint' a memory of the direction of water currents in the estuary where they become juveniles.
Read moreMarine Biology
Stranded whales detected from space
A new technique for analysing satellite images may help scientists detect and count stranded whales from space. Researchers tested a new detection method using Very High Resolution (VHR) satellite images of the biggest mass stranding of baleen whales yet recorded. It is hoped that in the future the technique will lead to real-time information as stranding events happen.
Read more3D printed chocolate without temperature control
A new approach to the 3D printing of chocolate using cold extrusion instead of conventional hot-melt extrusion method eliminates the need for stringent temperature controls, offering wider potential for 3D printing temperature-sensitive food.
Read moreDeep water sites off the US northeast coast are suitable for offshore blue mussel farms
Offshore mussel farm sites need to have the right temperature, food availability, and the right currents. According to a study, several suitable locations can be found off the Northeastern US.
Read moreClingfish biology inspires better suction cup
A team of engineers and marine biologists built a better suction cup inspired by the mechanism that allows the clingfish to adhere to both smooth and rough surfaces. Researchers reverse engineered the clingfish's suction disk and developed devices that cling well to wet and dry objects both in an out of water. The devices can hold up to hundreds of times their own weight.
Read more3-D printed coral could help endangered reefs
Threats to coral reefs are everywhere — rising water temperatures, ocean acidification, coral bleaching, fishing and other human activities. But new research shows that 3-D printed coral can provide a structural starter kit for reef organisms and can become part of the landscape as fish and coral build their homes around the artificial coral.
Read moreGalapagos study highlights importance of biodiversity in the face of climate change
Study of wave turbulence suggests that highly mobile species and more diverse ecological communities may be more resilient to the effects of changing environmental conditions.
Read moreWhat gives a 3-meter-long Amazonian fish some of the toughest scales on Earth
Arapaima gigas is a big fish in a bigger river full of piranhas, but that doesn't mean it's an easy meal. It's evolved armor-like scales that deform, but don't tear or crack, when a piranha — which has one of the animal kingdom's most powerful bites — attacks. Researchers describe the unique properties of the Amazonian Arapaima skin and its potential for human-made materials.
Read moreArtificial intelligence and farmer knowledge boost smallholder maize yields
Farmers in Colombia's maize-growing region of Córdoba had seen it all: too much rain one year, a searing drought the next. Yields were down and their livelihoods hung in the balance. To better deal with climate stress, farmers in Colombia's maize-growing region of Córdoba needed information services that would help them decide what varieties to plant, when they should sow and how they should manage their crops.
Read morePiranha fish swap old teeth for new simultaneously
With the help of new technologies, a team has confirmed that piranhas lose and regrow all the teeth on one side of their face multiple times throughout their lives. How they do it may help explain why the fish go to such efforts to replace their teeth.
Read more