Oceans

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.