The deal is done for the new underwater vehicle that will replace Ran, the submarine that was lost under a glacier in Antarctica in 2024. A large donation means that researchers at the University of Gothenburg can plan for new expeditions.

An exceptional “dual feeding” strategy underlies a Mediterranean coral’s resilience to rising sea temperatures, according to a study in Nature. The stony coral Oculina patagonica is known to feed itself with or without algae. Now, the first direct comparison of algae-hosting cells in O. patagonica and other coral species reveals how this flexibility works at the genetic and cellular level. The study is a window into how marine species are adapting to climate change, and also explains why the stony coral has expanded eastwards since it was first discovered in 1966.

Researchers studied the larvae of the marine rag worm Platynereis, and  used whole-body high-speed imaging to examine the wave behaviour, and the effects of various physical and biological manipulations.

Their results reveal an unprecedented wave structure. Despite the illusion of a single wave travelling across the entire circle of the ciliary band, coordination is only present within individual cells, and the wave does not transmit across cell boundaries. For the first time, the research revealed that short-range ‘steric’ interactions, where cilia ‘bump into each other’, are crucial for maintaining coordination in these very densely packed cilia.

What gives shark skin its toughness and sleek glide? Tiny, tooth-like scales called dermal denticles. Made of the same material as teeth, these structures protect sharks and reduce drag—especially crucial during mating. To uncover how denticles change with age and between sexes, researchers used high-powered electron microscopy on bonnethead sharks. The ultra-detailed images revealed striking variations in denticle shape and size across life stages and body regions. The findings offer a rare glimpse into how shark skin evolves as both armor and adaptation.

Researchers at Arizona State University collaborated with coastal gillnet fishers to develop solar-powered, net-illuminating gear that is highly effective at preventing sea turtles from entanglement while maintaining targeted catch, according to a new study in Conservation Letters.

14 new species descriptions of worms, mollusks, and crustaceans are included in the newest Ocean Species Discoveries – a publication series aimed at speeding up the process of describing new species. The series, coordinated by the Senckenberg Ocean Species Alliance, offers a specialized platform for concise, data-rich descriptions of marine invertebrate species. The study is published in the open-access Biodiversity Data Journal.

The Antarctic is a harsh and unforgiving climate for many, though there is no shortage of important biological activity happening in the frigid temperatures. Antarctic marine viruses, while proven to be important players in the ecosystem, are not completely understood. Here, researchers aim to fill in the gap between what is known and what is unknown, with a primary focus on RNA viruses, the influence of climate change and what the implications might mean for the rest of the world.

An international team of scientists led by the Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC) has described a new species of fossilized insect from the Australian Jurassic period, estimated to be around 151 million years old. It represents the oldest known member in the Southern Hemisphere of the Chironomidae family — non-biting midges that inhabit freshwater environments. The fossil shows a unique evolutionary adaptation: a mechanism, that likely allowing it to firmly anchor to surrounding rocks. Until now, this mechanism was thought to be exclusive to marine species.

Lead poisoning was once thought to largely be a problem of the past, as the globe gradually weaned itself off leaded gasoline in road vehicles in 2021. But has global lead pollution truly been resolved?A new study led by Dr Chen Mengli, a Research Fellow from the Tropical Marine Science Institute at the National University of Singapore (NUS), in collaboration with researchers from Imperial College London, University of Warwick, University of Oxford, Jadavpur University, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of Bristol, showed the answer is not yet: lead exposure remains a pressing public health and economic challenge in the 21st century.