Welcome aboard: Last Friday (20 March 2026) Hajo Eicken officially assumed office as the new Director of the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven (AWI). Previously, he spent almost three decades researching at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks in various scientific positions. For the past eleven years, Hajo Eicken headed up the International Arctic Research Center (IARC) there. "I am very excited about my new role. When I told my American colleagues about my move, the reaction was mostly the same: everyone was happy for me, because the AWI is known worldwide for its impressive research."

A major UN conference on migratory species opens today in Brazil amid new reports that almost half (49%) of all species with protection under the Convention on Migratory Species have negative population trends, and nearly one in four are threatened with extinction due to a combination of overexploitation, habitat destruction, pollution, climate change, and invasive species.

New programme offering fifteen fully funded scholarships to drive island talent and support population

Australia's environment experienced above average conditions for the fifth consecutive year in 2025, but climate change continues to inflict “serious and accelerating damage” on marine ecosystems while driving more species toward extinction, according to the 2025 Australia’s Environment Report, led by The Australian National University (ANU) in collaboration with TERN. 

The report found the number of species listed as threatened under federal law has grown to 2,175 – a 54 per cent increase since 2000, with 39 new listings in 2025. 

Prolonged exposure to microplastics can disrupt vital physiological processes in gorgonians, such as respiration. Although these pollutants do not cause visible damage to tissues and cells, their effects could have an ecological impact on these organisms that structure the seabed, particularly if exposure continues over time occurs alongside other environmental pressures, such as ocean warming, habitat degradation or the growing accumulation of plastics in the marine environment.

New research from the University of St Andrews reports sperm whales headbutting  one another. The behaviour was captured on film and described scientifically for the first time, confirming accounts by 19 th century mariners of sperm whales using their heads to deliberately push and strike objects, occasionally even sinking ships, thereby inspiring Herman Melville’s classic tale Moby Dick.

Hawaii faces economic and logistical challenges for dealing with plastic waste, including marine debris that lingers in its ocean waters. Researchers are pioneering a method to recycle the islands’ derelict fishing nets and plastic trash into asphalt roads. Demonstrations on Oahu show that adding recycled materials may provide an end-of-life fate for the region’s garbage, leading to less-polluted oceans. The researchers will present their results at ACS Spring 2026.

Sea urchin spines are not only for defence—they also act as natural sensors. A research team led by Prof. WANG Zuankai, Associate Vice President (Research and Innovation), Dean of Graduate School, Kuok Group Professor in Nature-Inspired Engineering and Chair Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), together with scholars from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), has discovered the mechanoelectrical perception in sea urchin spines, originating in their gradient porous structure, that allows the spines to instantly detect water flow. Using 3D printing, the team has replicated this structure and developed a bionic metamaterial sensor, which holds promise for breakthroughs in sensing technology. This innovation will drive the advancement of deep-sea technology such as marine monitoring and underwater infrastructure management, and can be extended to other emerging fields like brain-computer interfacing and aerospace.