The intricate, hidden processes that sustain coral life are being revealed through a new microscope developed by scientists at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

The diver-operated microscope — called the Benthic Underwater Microscope imaging PAM, or BUMP — incorporates pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) light techniques to offer an unprecedented look at coral photosynthesis on micro-scales. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the new microscope will help scientists uncover precisely why corals bleach, and inform remediation efforts. While the bleaching process is known, it’s not fully understood, and it hasn’t been possible to study in depth in the field — until now.

Researchers from the University of Plymouth explored how differences in the sensory abilities of hermit crabs influenced how long it took them to recover after being startled. In one species of hermit crab, tiny hair-like structures – otherwise known as sensilla – on the claws appear to be important in gathering information about their surroundings, including the presence of potential predators. The study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B journal, has shown that crabs with more sensory hairs on their claws recover faster from a startle response.

Temperature combined with ocean currents have a significant influence on the distribution of marine life. These current patterns are shaped by the constant change in the distribution of land and sea on the Earth's surface. In a new study, SNSB scientist Thomas A. Neubauer correlated over 3 million observations of modern benthic mollusks from the shelf areas of the world's oceans with the development of today’s ocean currents during the recent Earth history. The research team recently published its findings in the journal Scientific Reports.

Restoring underwater kelp forests by culling overgrazing sea urchins would deliver significant financial benefits, a new study has found.

A groundbreaking study of 7000-year-old exposed coral reef fossils reveals how human fishing has transformed Caribbean reef food webs: as sharks declined by 75% and fish preferred by humans became smaller, prey fish species flourished —doubling in numbers and growing larger. This unprecedented look into prehistoric reef communities shows how the loss of top predators cascaded through the entire food web, shifting the balance amongst coral reefs