Science

The secret of Disco Clams? Mirror balls

A graduate student at the University of California at Berkeley has uncovered the mystery to what allows the electric or disco clam to dazzle us with its light show. You would think there is some bioluminescence or other chemical reaction taking…

Fish may be smarter than we think

Fish might be a lot smarter than we think. Recent research poses the cognitive and perceptual abilities of fish often match or exceed those of other vertebrates, and there’s strong evidence that they feel pain. They are probably the most utilized creatures on earth by…

Fragment of Hope sees outplanted reef spawning after two short years

The Fragment of Hope, a coral reef restoration program in Belize, has seen one of its reef nurseries spawning in 2012 that was planted back in 2010. There were samples taken and examined by Dr. Esther Peters has shown three different…

Handmade acropora ‘supercolonies’ intentionally spawned in an aquarium

The story of what Jamie Craggs and friends have accomplished with their ‘manufactured’ mother colonies is nothing short of astounding. Working at the Horniman Museum and Aquarium, in less than 12 months they went from frags, to sexually viable colonies…

Special floating lab studies “Aliens of the Sea” to unlock answers about marine biodiversity

A unique project is taking a closer look at one of the many marvels from the sea — the comb jelly. Led by University of Florida neurobiologist Leonid Moroz, the research team has developed a unique floating lab that includes…

These marine worms will blow your mind

These images of marine worms will either blow your mind or give you nightmares. The stunning new photographs from Alexander Semenov showcase some of the 222 polychaeta worms he has been studying. If you haven’t seen Semenov’s photos before, then…

The trailer for the “Nature’s Aquarium” DVD is a must-watch

This trailer for Oceans: Nature’s Aquariums is an impeccable representation of how calming and peaceful the ocean can be, and why we love our aquariums so much. Despite being only eight minutes long, the trailer can whisk you away to a…

Friday Smorgasbord: Old seas, strange fish and 3D maps

It’s Friday and here is another edition of our weekly smorgasbord of weird, wacky and interesting. Starting off is the discovery of a 100-million-year-old ocean found under the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. US Geological Survey (USGS) hydrologists drilling discovered what…

Friday Smorgasbord: Mixed media, Orcas, Old Clams and more

After taking a few Friday’s off, we’re getting back on pace with another edition of the Friday Smorgasbord. Leading off this week’s version with a pirouette is a unique and fascinating mashup. Looking at our aquariums, we are mesmerized with the…

Friday Smorgasbord: Sponges, 3D printed reefs and sharks

We can’t believe October is almost behind us! Seems like this year is just cranking by and we were just wondering how to keep our tanks cool in the hot summer. Now that we are adding redundancy to our tank…