Oceans

  1. underwater scene of coral on ocean floor with fish swimming around
    Environment

    Corals may store a surprising amount of microplastics in their skeletons

    In tropical waters, coral reefs may be a “sink” for tiny bits of plastic debris. It’s unclear how corals’ trash pickup might affect reef health.

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  2. image of a pair of albatrosses with cliffside and ocean in the distance
    Life

    Albatrosses divorce more often when ocean waters warm

    In one part of the Falkland Islands, up to 8 percent of the famously faithful birds ditch partners in years when the ocean is warmer than average.

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  3. A landscape shot of the Last Ice Area, with the sun setting or rising over ice
    Earth

    Scientists are racing to save the Last Ice Area, an Arctic Noah’s Ark

    The Last Ice Area may be the final refuge for summer sea ice and the creatures that depend on it. Saving it is an ambitious goal with many hurdles.

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  4. Venus's-flower-basket sea sponge
    Animals

    How intricate Venus’s-flower-baskets manipulate the flow of seawater

    Simulations show that a deep-sea glass sponge’s intricate skeleton creates particle-trapping vortices and reduces the stress of rushing water.

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  5. a woman spots a humpback whale tail
    Animals

    ‘Fathom’ seeks to unravel humpback whales’ soulful songs

    The film ‘Fathom’ on Apple TV+ follows the quest of researchers on the ocean’s surface to decipher the eerie symphony of humpback whale calls below.

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  6. 2004 tsunami in Thailand
    Earth

    A new book uses stories from tsunami survivors to decode deadly waves

    In ‘Tsunami: The World’s Greatest Waves,’ two scientists chronical hundreds of eyewitness accounts to show the human cost of life at the water’s edge.

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  7. hammerhead shark swimming in the ocean
    Paleontology

    Something mysteriously wiped out about 90 percent of sharks 19 million years ago

    Deep sediments beneath the Pacific Ocean revealed a mystery: a massive shark die-off with no obvious cause.

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  8. divers testing coral disease treatments
    Animals

    A common antibiotic slows a mysterious coral disease

    Applying the antibiotic amoxicillin to infected lesions halted tissue death in corals for at least 11 months after treatment.

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  9. a photo of a submersible
    Science & Society

    A new book explores how military funding shaped the science of oceanography

    In ‘Science on a Mission,’ science historian Naomi Oreskes argues that funding from the U.S. Navy both facilitated and stymied marine research.

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  10. fish swimming by coral reef
    Oceans

    Corals’ hidden genetic diversity corresponds to distinct lifestyles

    Observation and DNA analysis expose identical reef corals as distinct species with unique ecologies, suggesting much greater coral biodiversity.

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  11. a collage of deep sea fish larvae
    Animals

    Dazzling underwater photos capture new views and scientific detail of fish larvae

    Lab specimens of fish larvae are often mangled and bleached. Divers and researchers have partnered to study their rich colors and intricate bodies.

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  12. urchin barren
    Ecosystems

    How kelp forests off California are responding to an urchin takeover

    A pair of studies reports 95 percent loss of kelp forests along the northern coast while sea otters are helping maintain surviving kelp farther south.

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