Detection of targets in bubbly waters are key goals of shallow-water sonar.
Scientists at the University of Southampton have developed a new kind of underwater sonar device that can detect objects through bubble clouds that would effectively blind standard sonar.
Continue reading… “New Device Detects Objects Through Bubble Clouds”
SPF50… into the ocean you will go!
Whales exhibit skin damage consistent with acute sunburn in humans, and it seems to be getting worse over time, reveals research published this week in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Continue reading… “Sunburnt Whales!!!”
major predators help control the populations of their prey… (but not people)
There may be many similarities between the importance of large predators in marine and terrestrial environments, researchers concluded in a recent study, which examined the interactions between wolves and elk in the United States, as well as sharks and dugongs in Australia.
Continue reading… “Sharks and Wolves: Prey Interactions Similar on Land and in Oceans”
Male pipefishes and their seahorse cousins are the only males that actually become pregnant and give birth, but pipefishes likely will never win any Father of The Year awards — their attitude towards their offspring can range from total love to total neglect, according to new findings from Texas A&M University researchers.
A panel of governmental, academic and non-profit scientists speaking at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) unveiled research suggesting that diseases found in dolphins are similar to human diseases and can provide clues into how human health might be affected by exposure to contaminated coastal water or seafood.
Continue reading… “Dolphins’ Health Shed Light on Human and Ocean Health”
Only some bats and toothed whales rely on sophisticated echolocation, in which they emit sonar pulses and process returning echoes, to detect and track down small prey. Now, two new studies in the January 26th issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, show that bats’ and whales’ remarkable ability and the high-frequency hearing it depends on are shared at a much deeper level than anyone would have anticipated — all the way down to the molecular level.
Continue reading… “In Bats and Whales, Convergence in Echolocation Ability Runs Deep”
A study by the University of Exeter provides the first evidence that coral reefs can recover from the devastating effects of climate change. Published Jan. 11, 2010 in the journal PLoS ONE, the research shows for the first time that coral reefs located in marine reserves can recover from the impacts of global warming.
Continue reading… “Coral Can Recover from Climate Change Damage, New Research Suggests”
The Basket Star is a bloodless creature that weighs 11 pounds and lives for about 35 years
Amazing pictures of Southern Ocean marine life captured by scientists working in the Antarctic were released today. The inhabitants of the continent’s seas were captured as part of a study on biodiversity carried out by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).
Continue reading… “Amazing Photos Of Antarctic Sea Life”
Scientists once thought of tool use as a defining feature of humans. That’s until examples of tool use came in from other primates, along with birds and an array of other mammals. Now, a report in the December 14th issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, adds an octopus to the growing list of tool users. (Video)
Continue reading… “Coconut-Carrying Octopus Surprises Scientists”
Census of Marine Life scientists have inventoried an astonishing abundance, diversity and distribution of deep sea species that have never known sunlight — creatures that somehow manage a living in a frigid black world down to 5,000 meters (~3 miles) below the ocean waves.
After 15 years of research in the waters of the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans, scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society, the American Museum of Natural History, and an international coalition of organizations have unveiled the largest genetic study of humpback whale populations ever conducted in the Southern Hemisphere. Continue reading… “Whale-sized Genetic Study Largest Ever For Southern Hemisphere Humpbacks”
A powerful fish-killing toxin could have cancer-killing properties as well, according to collaborative research led by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) microbiologist Paul V. Zimba and chemist Peter Moeller of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The toxin, called euglenophycin, has a molecular structure similar to that of solenopsin, an alkaloid from fire ant venom known to inhibit tumor development.
Continue reading… “Fish-Killing Toxin Could Kill Cancer Cells”