Millions of years of evolution have enabled some marine animals to grow complex protective shells composed of multiple layers that work together to dissipate physical stress. In a new study, engineers have found a way to mimic the behavior of this type of layered material, such as seashell nacre, by programming individual layers of synthetic material to work collaboratively under stress. The new material design is poised to enhance energy-absorbing systems such as wearable bandages and car bumpers with multistage responses that adapt to collision severity.

MIAMI — A new study published in the journal Coral Reefs reveals that heat-tolerant symbiotic algae may be essential to saving elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata)—a foundational species in Caribbean reef ecosystems—from the devastating impacts of marine heatwaves and coral bleaching.

New research from an international group looking at ancient sediment cores in the North Atlantic has for the first time shown a strong correlation between sediment changes and a marked period of global cooling that occurred in the Northern Hemisphere some 3.6 million years ago. The changes in sediments imply profound changes in the circulation of deep water currents occurred at this time.

This crucial piece of work, which showed sediments changed in multiple sites east of the mid-Atlantic ridge but not west of that important geographical feature, opens multiple doors to future research aimed at better understanding the link between deep water currents, Atlantic Ocean heat and salt distribution and ice-sheet expansion, and climatic change.

How sensitively does organic carbon stored in soils react to changes in temperature and humidity? This question is central to a new study by researchers from MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen and from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven that was now published in Nature Communications.

A new study shows that seagrass ecosystems along the northern half of Florida’s Gulf Coast have remained relatively healthy and undisturbed for the last several thousand years.

In a paper published this week in npj Ocean Sustainability (Nature group), researchers propose pathways to optimise synergies between marine spatial planning (MSP) and marine protected area (MPA) planning under a rapidly changing climate. The team highlights that both concepts serve different goals and result in different outcomes. This recognition is stressed as a prerequisite to dispel confusion and provide a clear pathway to climate-smart sustainable solutions.

Researchers at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography have developed a gel using nano-particles that slowly release some of coral larvae’s favorite “smells.” When the researchers applied the gel, called SNAP-X, to surfaces in lab experiments it increased coral larvae settlement by up to 20 times compared to untreated surfaces.

A joint research team led by Dr. Hyun-Yeol Jeon and Dr. Hyo-Jeong Kim at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), Senior Researcher Sung-Bae Park, Professor Dong-Yeop Oh at Inha University, and Professor Je-Young Park at Sogang University has developed a high-performance polyester-amide (PEA) polymer that decomposes by over 92% in one year under real marine conditions, while maintaining strength and flexibility comparable to nylon.

Researchers at the University of Guam Marine Laboratory have integrated novel sequencing technologies to reveal hidden diversity in coral reef ecosystems.

Coral reefs provide the structure for an astounding array of diversity, with many examples of symbiotic relationships. Certain species of coral provide food and protection for coral guard crabs (Trapezia), which live safely ensconced in the branches of the corals and defend them from predators like the crown-of-thorns starfish.