The University of Sydney’s School of Geosciences is using big data to build digital maps of the ocean floors. Big data — a broad term describing data sets so large or complex that traditional data processing applications are inadequate —…
Science
An early start to the 2015 Caribbean coral spawn
Corals are known for their synchronistic spawning, typically a week after the last full moon in August. This year with a late blue moon in July the spawning happened earlier than normal. Teams from the Steinhart Aquarium, Seaworld, Akron Zoo, Georgia…
A closer look at the design and applications of Modular Artificial Reef concept
In April we wrote about Alex Goad and his award winning Modular Artificial Reef (MARS) design. The more we read about MARS and the not for profit design studio Reef Design Lab we got thinking about the applications to marine aquariums…
Seahorse tail may be the key to future of robotics
The seahorse might ‘hold’ the answer to better, tougher and more coordinated robots in the future. A team of researchers were inspired by the strangely unique square tail of the seahorse to potential build robots that could perform surgical procedures,…
Millions of tuna crabs wash ashore in Southern California
The warm water off the coast of California have driven millions of tiny, bright red tuna crabs ashore on Southern California beaches recently. Although they look like crawfish or mini lobsters, the pelagic red crabs are typically found along the…
Many of the Earth’s longest-living animals are in the ocean
If you ever were wondering just how long the expected lifespan of things were, then this chart is for you. When comparing what the longest-living animals on earth are, Discovery News found the Ocean Quahog, a bivalve mollusc living on…
What happens to California if sea levels rise? Check out this interactive map
Despite being in the midst of a significant four-year drought here in California, there are some are predicting a super storm in the next few years based on historical evidence and frequency of massive storms. What would happen if the state was hit…
Coeloplana: Benthic ctenophores living right under your nose
Ctenophora is a phylum of marine animals most commonly referred to as comb jellies. You may have seen these in various documentaries, manifesting themselves as gelatinous geometric shapes fringed in movable cilia and psychedelic disco lights. This phylum is huge and…
Watch coral spawning in captivity at Horniman Museum and Gardens in London
We wrote about how Jamie Craggs has been recreating coral spawning in captivity at the Horniman Museum and Gardens in London before, but seeing it in action is simply amazing. Watch this stunning video to see how he successfully triggered a mass spawning in…
Warm blooded fish, the deepwater Opah rewrites the rules of fish biology
The opah, Lampris guttatus, is rewriting the rules of fish biology with a recently discovered ability to keep most of its body warm. Fish biologists have long since known that certain fish species such as tuna can keep certain parts of their bodies…