What if dolphins are listening in on their prey—and their prey are listening right back? Researchers spent two months eavesdropping on dolphins along Florida’s Atlantic coast, using an autonomous wave glider to capture their underwater sounds and clues about where they socialize and hunt. The study revealed distinct acoustic hotspots where dolphins gathered and socialized, and where they hunted in areas rich with sound-producing fish. The findings open a fascinating new question: Are dolphins and their prey listening to—and potentially responding to—each other?

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) scientists have found that most coral reefs across the Indo-Pacific may struggle to grow fast enough to keep pace with accelerating sea-level rise. The study found that 76 per cent of the reef sites surveyed do not have the capacity to keep pace with projected sea-level rise under a high greenhouse gas emissions scenario, threatening coastal protection and marine habitats.

In humans and many other animals, a mother’s age can affect the physical and behavioral characteristics of the next generation. Scientists call these changes maternal age effects, and while they are widespread across the animal kingdom, researchers still don't fully understand how or why they occur.

"Maternal age effects are incredibly common, from invertebrates up through humans, elephants, other primates and other mammals," said Kristin Gribble, an associate scientist in the Bay Paul Center at the Marine Biological Laboratory. "Nearly all forms of life show some level of maternal age effect, and most are negative effects caused by advanced maternal age." Gribble's lab is using rotifers—tiny aquatic animals that reproduce quickly and are easy to study—to uncover the biological mechanism that transmits information about a mother's age to her offspring.