Known as the backbone of ocean biodiversity, corals are facing threats from climate change. However, recent research indicates that these organisms may possess greater resilience than we once believed. In a study featured in Science Advances, a researcher has demonstrated that, even with a steady rise in ocean acidity over the last 200 years, certainRead More

A global team of researchers collaborating with Queensland Museum’s CoralBank has made remarkable discoveries that alter the family tree of one of the most renowned coral groups in the world, identifying five new species that were previously unknown to science. The research has transformed our understanding of one of the reef’s most ecologically important coralsRead More

Recent studies conducted by researchers at the American Museum of Natural History provide insights into the ancient beginnings of biofluorescence in fish and the variety of vibrant colours associated with this biological occurrence. Outlined in two related studies recently released in Nature Communications and PLOS One, the results indicate that biofluorescence has been around forRead More

A global research team spearheaded by the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), in collaboration with the Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) in Bremen, has conducted an in-depth study of reefs around the globe. Their goal was to identify the locations of fish communities that are most visually appealing to humans and toRead More

Marine scientists in Florida are taking action to address the alarming long-term decline of coral reefs by using a creative underwater doorbell-style surveillance camera to catch “porch pirates” in the act. The recorded footage revealed that three species known for feeding on coral—the redband parrotfish, foureye butterflyfish, and stoplight parrotfish—were responsible for consuming over 97%Read More

Researchers at James Cook University have discovered that toxins from stonefish may offer a new way to combat parasitic worm infections that affect nearly 25% of the global population. The study, led by JCU Ph.D. candidate Danica Lennox-Bulow, has been published in the journal Toxins. She noted that parasitic gastrointestinal worms, known as helminths, poseRead More

Coral reefs are among the most diverse ecosystems on our planet. Although they cover less than 1% of the ocean’s surface, an astonishing one-quarter of all marine species rely on these reefs at some point in their lives. With such a rich variety of life concentrated in one area, researchers often find it challenging toRead More

Researchers from the Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) Toonen-Bowen (ToBo) Lab have made significant strides in marine biology by identifying 10 new species of marine sponge. This exciting discovery was detailed in a series of groundbreaking studies published recently in the journals PeerJ and Zootaxa. Utilising a method that examines both genetic and structuralRead More

A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that small, elusive crabs might be a key factor affecting the populations of coral-eating starfish. While it’s well-known that outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) can severely damage coral reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific, scientists continue to debate the natural population cycles ofRead More