A new study shows that coral reefs don’t just provide a home for ocean life, they also help set the daily “schedule” for tiny microbes living in the water nearby. Over the course of a single day, the quantity and types of microbes present can shift dramatically. To see this in detail, researchers took frequent water samples and used a mix of genetic and ecological methods and tools, as well as advanced imaging techniques, to track what was happening hour by hour. They found that reefs can shape microbial communities through natural interactions like grazing and predation, as well as changes in the reef’s close microbial partners. These daily ups and downs offer a fresh window into how reefs work and influence the surrounding environment— and could even point to new ways to keep an eye on reef health.

Digital twin (DT) technology is emerging as a core solution for future marine development and intelligent ocean management. The review systematically reviews digital twin applications in the marine field, clarifies its concept, proposes a five-layer framework, and summarizes key technologies, including sensing, data management, modeling, simulation, and monitoring. It highlights DT’s ability to synchronize physical marine systems with virtual models in real time, enabling simulation, prediction, optimization, and decision-making. The authors further outline challenges and development prospects, showing how DT can support deep-sea resource exploitation, offshore wind energy, marine engineering, vessel autonomy, environmental monitoring, and system reliability assessment.

Underwater wireless power transfer is emerging as a key technology for enabling long-duration, maintenance-free operation of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). This review provides the most comprehensive overview to date of magnetic-coupling-based underwater wireless charging, addressing challenges such as eddy current losses in seawater, misalignment caused by ocean dynamics, and the growing need for simultaneous transfer of power and data. By comparing transmitter–receiver coil structures, compensation networks, and control strategies, the research identifies design pathways that significantly enhance efficiency, stability, and tolerance to dynamic marine conditions. The work also highlights emerging simultaneous wireless power and data transfer (SWPDT) methods that could reshape the future of marine sensing and robotic operations.

A research team from City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) recently collaborated with an international research team to publish a study revealing a correlation between global contamination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in globally consumed edible marine fish and associated human health risks.

The study found that consumers may be exposed to elevated levels of PFAS by consuming imported fish such as salmon, tuna, swordfish and cod — even in regions with low environmental pollution — thereby increasing food‑safety risks.

A research team from City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) recently collaborated with an international research team to publish a study revealing a correlation between global contamination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in globally consumed edible marine fish and associated human health risks.

The study found that consumers may be exposed to elevated levels of PFAS by consuming imported fish such as salmon, tuna, swordfish and cod — even in regions with low environmental pollution — thereby increasing food‑safety risks.

A research team led by Prof. QIAN Peiyuan, Chair Professor of the Department of Ocean Science at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), in collaboration with the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), and the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences (CAFS), has achieved a significant breakthrough in understanding the adaptive strategies of the deep-sea black coral Bathypathes pseudoalternata (B. pseudoalternata) and its symbiotic microbiome. The study has been published in the top international journal Cell Host & Microbe.

The therapeutic use of human calcitonin (CT) in humans is limited by rapid receptor desensitization (tachyphylaxis), which requires short-term dosing despite the need for long-term treatment. In contrast, fish CT-CT receptors (CTR) exhibit extraordinary resistance to desensitization, enabling lifelong calcium regulation in high-Ca²⁺ marine environments. Here, we analyze the evolutionary, structural, and functional distinctions between fish and human CT systems. We propose that the unique molecular structure of fish CT and CTR may provide templates for engineering durable therapeutic agents to overcome tachyphylaxis.

Kyoto, Japan --  The species Orcinus orca, generally known as orcas or killer whales, is made up of many genetically distinct populations called ecotypes. Each ecotype indicates an ecological specialization with its own ecological and phylogenetic characteristics. The North Pacific is home to three known ecotypes of killer whales, called the transient, resident, and offshore ecotypes. While transient ecotype killer whales are mammal-eating, the resident and offshore orcas are fish-eating.

Though killer whale populations in the eastern North Pacific near Vancouver Island and Alaska have been studied extensively, populations in the western North Pacific have been less studied, especially around Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island. One of these sea areas, Shiretoko, is the best in Japan to spot killer whales and is even home to a UNESCO natural World Heritage site, yet information on its killer whale population has remained limited. Researchers from Kyoto University and collaborating institutions worked together with a shared determination to change that.

"Clarifying the ecological characteristics of killer whales is crucial for achieving coexistence with them, as they are deeply entwined with human activities such as tourism and fisheries in Hokkaido," says first and corresponding author Momoka Suzuki.

A groundbreaking video from Kumamoto University's Center for Water Cycle, Marine Evironment and Disaster Management (Aitsu Marine Station) has been selected as one of "November's Best Science Images" by the scientific journal Nature. This special feature celebrates the most visually striking and scientifically innovative research images each month, and the selection is an incredible honor for Associate Professor. Yoshikawa and his team.

Members of the American Meteorological Society (AMS), the professional society for weather, water, and climate sciences and services, have elected Richard (Rick) Spinrad to the position of AMS president-elect for 2026, as well as electing five new council members: Marilyn Averill, Julie Demuth, Jordan Gerth, Maureen McCann, and Aaron Piña.