Researchers utilized 30 years of Landsat satellite imagery to analyze the color and spectral signatures of Adélie penguin guano across Antarctica, marking the first time space-based observations have captured food-web and population dynamics at a continental scale. The study revealed that global warming and shrinking sea ice are altering penguin diets. Adélie penguins rely more heavily on fish in areas with more sea ice but consume more krill where sea ice has decreased. Diets higher in krill correlate with declining penguin populations, as previous research indicates that penguin chicks fed fish grow larger and have significantly better survival prospects than those fed krill.

New research reveals the unusual shape, size and pattern of the dermal denticles that cover basking sharks – thought to be unique to this species. Researchers propose that the shape and arrangement of the skin’s scales protects the skin while also allowing for the stretchiness required to open and close their colossal mouths during ram filter feeding.

Scientists have uncovered what may be the earliest evidence of “right-handedness” in the animal kingdom, dating back more than half a billion years. The discovery comes from the fossil record of Spriggina floundersi, an organism from the Ediacaran Period that lived about 550 million years ago.

Coral reefs are disappearing at an unprecedented rate as climate change, marine heatwaves, pollution and coastal development threaten one of Earth's richest ecosystems. While scientific research has greatly advanced our understanding of the crisis and ways to restore damaged reefs, a new international paper argues that science alone will not be enough to protect them.

Writing in Science Advances, researchers from Bar-Ilan University and leading institutions around the world call for a fundamental shift in coral conservation by integrating science with art, design, culture and community engagement to inspire public awareness and meaningful action.