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…
Science
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…
Advancing technology helps build a more realistic robotic fish
We have covered robitic fish quite extensively, but recent advancements in technology and the availability of cutting edge “off the shelf” technology in the new maker movement, robotic fish are getting more advanced and approachable. Take for instance Maurizio Porfiri,…
The Flowave is a real life wavemaker
If you wanted to build the ultimate water flow creating aquarium, it would look something like the Flowave, a huge circular flow generating pool that is in a league of its own. The Flowave is 5 meters deep, 25 meters in…
How much are the oceans worth? At least $24 trillion
The world’s oceans are worth at least $24 trillion according to a recent report by the published by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). On the flip side, the overall economic value is threatened by pollution, climate change and…
Modular artificial reef wins PopSci Invention Awards
A modular artificial reef structure won the environmental category in the Popular Science Invention Awards. The unique design of the Modular Artificial Reef Structure (MARS) solves the problem of large, heavy and expensive artificial reefs currently employed in most instances.…
Sperm whale washes ashore in Northern California, cause of death unknown
After a dead 48-foot sperm whale washed ashore on a Northern California beach just south of San Francisco and spending a day dissecting the animal, scientists are still trying to figure what the reason was this whale died. Teams from…
A Photographic Identification Guide to Stenopus Shrimp
The Coral Banded Shrimp (Stenopus hispidus) is a staple of the aquarium hobby, but there are many more species in its genus that are less familiar to aquarists. Nearly all of the dozen or so species appear in exports from…
Bunbu-Kun, anthropomorphic urchins will make you smile
Lurking out on the reefs of the Philippines is the jolliest creature known to man, the ever-ebullient Bunbu-kun. Its permanent countenance of childlike wonder and joy is enough to warm the heart of even the most curmudgeon-y of aquarists, for,…